


The Show Must Go On

by inkstained_optimist



Series: West River High [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe- School Play, Bad Jokes, Bad Puns, F/M, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Not really alternate universes but I'm bad at tagging, Original Character(s), Original work - Freeform, Stage Crew, Theater - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-10-09 21:43:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10422396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkstained_optimist/pseuds/inkstained_optimist
Summary: Welcome to West River High, where a rag-tag group of high schoolers make up the completely student-run Drama Club. Led by their fearless and obsessive director Lara and her assistant director Monica, this year's cast is putting on a production of Hamilton, with a genderbended twist. Follow the cast of the West River High Drama Club's production of Hamilton through their ups, downs, and everything in betweens!





	1. The School Auditions and the Cast is Found

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to reading The Show Must Go On! I just got an AO3 account, so this is my first post here, but I've been writing for a while. I started writing this story in August of 2016, so I have quite a few chapters so far, and updates will be regular for a while, but once updates catch up with where I am, things will slow down. Luckily, you won't have to worry about that for a while, so enjoy! Kudos and comments are much appreciated!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the good comes the bad. And the very bad. Lara and Monica have to sit through all of them.

Lara and Monica stood in front of a crowd of actors. The emotions in the room ranged from exasperation (Lara) to overexcitement (Monica, and a few actors, mostly juniors, and seniors) to confidence (a crowd of sophomore actors who, knowing Lara and Monica, would wind up without a role) to petrification from nerves (the majority of actors). 

It was audition day. Let the games begin.

Lara took her center-stage, front row seat, as usual, Monica on her left. 

“Alright, who’s first?” Lara shouted. 

A redheaded girl climbed up onstage. Cocky junior. “Hi, my name is Brenna Preston. I'm auditioning for the role of Hamilton.”

Lara sighed. “Brenna, you've auditioned every year I've been the director. You know the drill. There's no auditioning ‘for’ parts. Monica and I will cast you.”

“O-oh,” Brenna said, looking defeated. Lara was already scribbling “no” notes on her ever-present pad.

“Can we get on with the audition?” Monica asked, tapping her pen.

“Right,” Brenna said, starting her monologue, self-written. It was in letter format, written to her future, Broadway-actress self about her love of acting, and opportunity. When prompted by Lara, she launched into her song selection, an out of time rendition of Hamilton’s rap from “My Shot.”

The two directors took their notes and waved Brenna off. 

After a spree of not-particularly-remarkable freshman and sophomores, a familiar face walked onstage. 

“Lara. Monica,” he said, a little two-fingered hats-off wave to each of the seniors. 

“Anthony,” Lara said. She crossed her legs and added, “So whatcha got for us today?”

“Ah, nothin’,” Anthony said. “Just a little something to solidify my lead.” He looked towards the box. “Hey, Marcus! Give me the line!”

From the box, Marcus, the senior techie, shouted, “EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR AMERICA’S FAVORITE FIGHTING FRENCHMAN!”

Anthony then launched into a full-speed version of Lafayette’s rap from “Guns and Ships,” with Marcus, Monica and eventually Lara, chiming in for the interspersed shouts of “Lafayette!” But after the verse, Anthony didn't stop. Marcus took the liberty of taking care of Washington’s part, a die-hard Hamilton fan himself, then Anthony jumped back in. Monica and Lara were applauding both of their friends, the techie, and the actor. Anthony didn't even need a monologue, he was in.

Then Tamara and Carolina stepped onstage, and Anthony didn’t even leave. 

A smirk crossed Lara’s face. This had to be good. 

Together, the three of them ran bits from “Helpless,” “Satisfied,” and “Take A Break,” Carolina taking Eliza, Tamara covering Angelica, and Anthony singing Hamilton. They all sounded great, and Lara and Monica already had the three locked into certain roles. After a round of applause, the three friends left the stage in a flurry of laughter. 

Marcus hopped down from the box and took a seat next to Monica. “So how’d I do?” he asked with a laugh. 

“You could have a role if you want,” Monica said. “None of the other guys we’ve had so far have been particularly good.”

“Nah, but thanks,” he replied. “Someone’s gotta run the box, and keep order backstage, and direct practically all the new techies. Most of the crew was seniors last year, so me and this one sophomore kid are the only returning members, and he still doesn’t know what to do.”

“Good. We need you on tech; you can sing along to the songs up in the box if you want.” Lara said. 

“Really?”

“Yeah, just don’t be too loud.”

“Yes!” he exclaimed. “Well, I have one important question. Who are Ant, Lina, and Tamara gonna be?”

“I have Ant set down for Anthony Schuyler, the genderbend of Angelica,” Monica said. “There’s a reason that character is named what he is.”

“Tamara’s gonna be Lafayette slash Jefferson if our consensus is correct,” Lara said. 

“She’s right on that one!” Monica said. “And you may have expected it, but I don’t need anyone else to play Hamilton when I have Carolina!”

“Nice,” Marcus said, nodding. 

“Just don’t tell them, okay?” Lara said. “Lock it in until the list comes out.”

“Gotcha,” he replied. 

Marcus went back up to the box, and a new face stepped onstage. 

“Hi, my name is Avery. I’m a freshman,” she said, shyly. “I really like Hamilton, and I really like acting, so being in this play would be amazing! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to audition!”

She started singing, a bit quiet, but it was easily recognizable as “Wait For It” from Hamilton. Avery got past the first verse, and into the first chorus, and the second verse, and into the second chorus and the rest of the song, and wow, this girl could sing. Her vocal range was great, her voice powerful. It was incredible to listen to, and just what the directors were looking for.

As Avery walked offstage, Monica whispered to Lara, “I think we just found Erin Burr.”

Monica and Lara sat through another hour of auditions, half lackluster, half incredible. After the last audition, the two directors deliberated, then walked out the doors of the auditorium with a final list for Monica to type up.

~~O~~

Monica felt a small rush clutching the cast list to her chest. Today was the moment of truth for all these actors and actresses, as they waited in agony to see if they'd been cast. She reached the Drama Club’s board outside the auditorium and tacked up the list as a crowd of actors gathered around.

Monica stepped back and watched as the revelations, for better or for worse, went over people’s faces in waves. 

**West River High School Drama Club’s Production of Hamilton ******

**Cast List ******

Alexandra Hamilton- Carolina Solomon

Erin Burr- Avery Benson

Jane Laurens- Naomi Westman

Marquis de Lafayette/Tara Jefferson- Tamara Delambre

Helena Mulligan/Jacqueline Madison- Kenzie Brooke

Ethan Schuyler- Brendan Niely

Anthony Schuyler- Anthony Davies

Peter Schuyler/Philip Hamilton- Eli Solomon

Georgia Washington- Halle Breakwater

King George III- Troy Maddern

**Ensemble ******

Talia Patel

Julian Sohal

Laurel Macklin

Spencer Graceman

Natalie Burton

Aidan Eastmond

The three senior actor friends, Carolina, Tamara, and Anthony gave each other high fives for their leading roles. Troy and Avery, the only ones from their class, appeared to be on the verge of tears, out of happiness, while plenty of their fellow freshman were experiencing the same reaction, but for the opposite emotion. Naomi, Kenzie and Halle, three juniors, wrapped each other in a group hug after finding their roles. Eli, another sophomore was laughing and celebrating with Carolina, his older sister. Brendan, a senior, looked relieved. Talia and Julian (seniors), Laurel and Spencer (juniors), and Natalie and Aidan (sophomores) began frantically talking in their ensemble group excitedly.

Two groups would up separating. The ones with roles, and the ones without. Monica pep-talked the withouts, telling them they can try again next year, and they could always use crew and understudies, who weren’t listed. Lara took the withs, congratulating everyone and talking to them about rehearsal schedules. The cast was set, and the play was beginning to take shape.


	2. Voices Are Discovered and Monica Gets a Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when you bring the cast together for the first time? Singing. Lots and lots of singing. And equal amounts of confusion.

Everyone was scattered through the front half of the auditorium. The “Seniors of the Stage,” Lara, Monica, Carolina, Tamara and Anthony (and Marcus, but he was working with the crew), sat on the edge of the stage, legs dangling. Naomi, Kenzie, and Halle welcomed Avery into their cluster on the stairs, and everyone else was sort of huddling and talking between themselves. 

“Cast!” Lara shouted, trying to grab everyone's attention, and utterly failing.

“Allow me.” Tamara said, before standing up and shouting very loudly, “Guys! Pay attention to Lara because she has something important to say!”

All heads turned towards their direction. 

“Alright. Today's our read-through. Well, it's more like a sing-through, but I digress.” Lara said. “Important question, how many of you know Hamilton well, like memorized-a-good-chunk-of-the-musical well?” At least ¾ of the cast raised their hands. “Good, that'll make things easier for me. I'm still giving you scripts because this is not the Hamilton you guys know. As you all know, or should know, this is a genderbended version, written by our amazing assistant director Monica, so give her a round of applause.” 

“Thanks, guys,” Monica said. “It was mostly just a lot of name and pronoun switching.” She smiled. “I don't know about you guys, but I'm really excited to hear this!”

“Here’s hoping I don't sound horrible!” Carolina laughed. 

“Lina, you’ll do fine!” Anthony reassured. “Let's get this thing going!” 

Lara gave everyone a script, then started the background track on her phone, hooked up to a speaker. From just the first notes, Avery’s eyes lit up, and she knew exactly what to do.

“How does a bastard, orphan, daughter of a whore and a Scotsman  
Dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Carribean by providence impoverished in squalor  
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?”

Then Naomi came in. “The ten dollar Founding Father without a father  
Got a lot farther by working a lot harder  
By being a lot smarter  
By being a self-starter  
By fourteen, they placed her in charge of a trading charter.”

Tamara jumped in, her voice strong. “And every day while slaves were being slaughtered and carted   
Away across the waves, she struggled and kept her guard up  
Inside she was longing for something to be a part of  
The sister was ready to beg, steal, borrow or barter.”

“Then a hurricane came, devastation rained  
Our woman saw her future drip, dripping down the drain  
Put a pencil to her temple, connected it to her brain  
And she wrote her first refrain, a testament to her pain.” Kenzie’s voice took a different tone than during her audition as she got into the feel of the play and her character.

Avery jumped back in, still light and bright as a balloon with a lightbulb in it. “Well the word got around, they said, ‘This kid is insane, man!’  
Took up a collection just to send her to the mainland  
‘Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came  
And the world’s gonna know your name, what’s your name man?’”

Carolina came in, a wide grin on her face as she sang, “Alexandra Hamilton  
My name is Alexandra Hamilton  
And there’s a million things I haven’t done  
But just you wait, just you wait…”

Brendan, who was only in his first year in the play, had a good voice, which made him Lara and Monica’s pick for Ethan. It showed as he sang his verse, even though he stumbled over his words since he wasn’t that familiar with the show. “When she was ten, her father split, full of it, debt-ridden  
Two years later, see Alex and her mother, bed-ridden  
Half-dead, sittin’ in their own sick, the scent thick.”

Everyone chimed in, in a whisper, for the line, “And Alex got better but her mother went quick.”

Halle’s voice penetrated the quiet, strong and sound. “Moved in with a cousin, the cousin committed suicide  
Left her with nothin’ but ruined pride, something new inside  
A voice saying ‘Alex, you gotta fend for yourself’  
She started retreating and reading every treatise on the shelf.”

Avery cut through again, beginning to get the swing of her character and role. “There would’ve been nothing left to do for someone less astute  
She would’ve been dead or destitute without a cent of restitution  
Started workin’, clerkin’ for her late mother’s landlord  
Trading sugarcane and rum and all the things she can’t afford  
Scammin’ for every book she can get her hands on  
Plannin’ for the future, see her now as she stands on  
The bow of a ship heading for a new land  
In New York, you can be a new man!”

The cast and Carolina alternated between lines of “In New York, you can be a new man” and “Just you wait!” Carolina’s single voice was as powerful as the many of the cast. The cast broke into two groups, melody and harmony for the next verse section, before the actors took their roles again.

“Ship is in the harbor now, see if you can spot her.” Avery sang, with that same voice that made her one of only two freshman cast members. “Another immigrant, comin’ up from the bottom  
Her enemies destroyed her rep, America forgot her.”

“We fought with her,” Tamara and Kenzie said.

“Me?” said Naomi. “I died for her.”

“Me?” said Halle. “I trusted her.”

“Me?” said Brendan and Anthony. “I loved her.”

“And me?” Avery said. “I’m the damn fool that shot her.”

They all sang, “There’s a million things I haven’t done  
But just you wait!”

Avery asked, “What’s your name man?”

And the cast, with Carolina’s voice penetrating through, responded, “Alexandra Hamilton.”

The track stopped and applause, cheers, and laughs roared abundantly. 

“Oh my god, guys, that was amazing!” Monica squealed, almost jumping up and down. “All of you were great!”

“I have to give you props for that,” Lara said. “For a first round, you guys sounded great.” She leaned in a bit closer and said, quietly, “You guys might just be my best cast ever.”

“Wow, that sounded great,” Marcus said, opening one of the auditorium doors. “That’s like almost professional, like Broadway professional level. We’ve got some major star power in this theater!”

“For those who don’t know him, this is Marcus,” Lara said, directing a quick glance in Avery’s direction. “ He’s the head of the stage crew. You’ll be seeing him around a lot.”

“But not right now, considering I’ve gotta go grab some stuff from the box,” Marcus said. “See you all later! Keep up the great work!”

After the door had closed again, Carolina asked, “You guys up for the next song?”

The vote of positivity was unanimous. 

~~O~~

Monica came to practice the next day with a wild, crazy, happy look on her face. “You guys will not believe what I just got.”

“What?” Anthony asked. 

“I'm not telling,” she said with the same wild smile. “Try and guess.”

“A guy finally asked you out?” Lara guessed with a small laugh. 

Monica scowled at her friend. “No! Anyone else?”

“You got an A plus on a big assignment?” Avery suggested.

“Nope. Try again.”

“You got your admissions letter from some Ivy League?” Anthony said.

“Close. It's a letter, but has nothing to do with school or college.”

“I'm stumped,” Naomi said. “What is it?”

“So I wrote an email to this particular person about our play here and attached a script and an annotated cast list and stuff. And then he responded,” Monica explained, attempting (and sort of failing) to control her joy at whoever this was who responded.

“Who is it?” Kenzie asked. “The hype better lead to something good!”

“Oh, no one,” Monica said, failing at faux nonchalance. “Just Lin-Manuel Miranda!”

“What?!” Carolina and Avery exclaimed.

“No. Freaking. Way.” Lara said, almost forgetting to close her mouth.

“If I was drinking something, I would've just spit it all over Halle,” Anthony said. The sophomore in question responded to the quip with an “ew.” 

“Monica, you must be sh**ting with us,” Tamara said. “There's no way.”

“Uh, yes way! You wanna see this email?” Monica shoved her phone in Tamara’s face. 

As the actress read it, the disbelief covered her face like a mask. “Wow,” was all she said.

“I don't mean to ruin your jaw-dropping moment, but who the heck is this guy? Why’s he so important?” Brendan asked.

Julian, Spencer, and Aidan murmured in a similar “Yeah, who is this guy?” fashion.

“Did you lunkheads even stand to research the play we’re doing?” Natalie said. 

The boys hemmed and hawed. “That's such a nerdy thing to do!” Aidan called.

“Excuse me?” Laurel said, a twinge of anger towards her fellow ensemble member.

“Calm down guys!” Talia shouted. “Instead of starting a fight, can't you just enlighten the idiots?”

“True,” Natalie pointed out. 

“Five-second explanation for the boys,” Monica said. “Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the original Hamilton, the not-genderbended one. He also acted as Hamilton for a while.” 

“Oh. That makes a bit more sense.” Aidan said.

“Still don't get why you're all flipping out,” Julian added.

“Julian, you're gonna have to deal with us flipping out about a lot of things,” Tamara said. 

“She’s right,” Anthony said. “We’re a cast, a family with their own quirks and habits. We’re like fudge. Mostly sweet with a few nuts.”

“Nice one, Ant,” Monica said.

“Um, guys?” Lara chimed in. “We have a rehearsal to do! We’re running the second act today!”

“Right…” The cast mumbled and grumbled, but pulled their scripts out of wherever they kept them and got to work.


	3. Introducing the Stage Crew, and Kenzie Starts a YouTube Channel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The place for gossip and goofing off isn't even in front of the curtain, as the stage crew will gladly tell you. But even from in front, ideas and ingenuity are abound.

“Sometimes I wish I was with the actors, singing songs and goofing off.” Tori, a freshman techie said as she painted a set piece. “I mean, Avery’s one of my friends, and she's always going on about how much fun the play is and how nice everyone is, and she's always singing something or other.”

“You've gotta get used to it, Tori,” Marcus said. “Imagine you're me. My best friends for the past four years are all the active members.”

“Marc, you're a Senior of the Stage. You don't get to talk.” Gabe, a junior, added. 

“Yeah, and he's the only techie.” Addie, a sophomore, pointed out. 

“How do you even get the title of ‘Senior of the Stage?’” Cole, Tori’s fellow freshman asked. 

“You've gotta be in the theater program all four years of high school,” Gabe said. “I'm on track to being one next year. I was crew freshman, acted sophomore, and crew again this year.”

“It's a pretty big thing, right?” Addie said. “It's in the yearbook and everything?”

“Yep,” Marcus said. “Proud to represent our small band of brothers and sisters.” 

“You pride yourself on it way too much…” Evan, the other sophomore said. 

“We all know you really want to be an actor, Marc,” Gabe said.

“I do not!” Marcus defended his status as crew fiercely. 

“I saw you cutting in on Anthony Davies’ audition,” Addie said. “You want to be an actor.”

“Well, maybe a little…”

“Wasted opportunity, Marcus,” Tori said. 

“Enough about my theater life, get back to painting!” Marcus said, a twinge of stress in his voice. “I'm gonna run out and grab some supplies from the theater.”

Marcus closed the art room door as he left, leaving the junior, the two sophomores and the two freshmen alone in the room. It was dishing time. 

“Evan, I heard you got a girlfriend,” Addy said. “Tell us fellow techies the deets.”

“I asked out Naomi. We saw a movie together. We have a second date planned for Saturday night.” Evan explained flatly. “I always hate this…”

“Yet you go along anyway.” Tori pointed out. “You're the subject, so whatcha got?”

Evan sighed. “I think Anna has an eye for you, Cole.”

“Really?” Cole said.

“Make a move, dude!” Tori nudged her classmate. 

Marcus decided to come back then and there. “It seems you guys have done absolutely nothing,” he said. “Get back to work!”

~~O~~

A cast member ran into the theater with a wide smile on her face. And this time, it wasn’t Monica. Kenzie came in equipped with a grin and a video camera that day.

“What’s with the camera?” Eli asked. 

“I started a YouTube channel for the play,” Kenzie said. “We can record us singing, and rehearsals of songs, and covers, and cast cams, and maybe even do our own Ham4Hams!”

“Ham for what?” Brendan exclaimed. “Is this some Broadway cult thing that I, of course, wouldn’t know?”

“One, it is not a cult-” Kenzie started, but Naomi cut her off. 

“Well, it kind of is a cult.”

“Continuing…” Kenzie began again. “Two, Ham4Hams are the little pre-show shows that the cast would do. They’d be sing-alongs, or they’d invite guest stars, or mix up the songs a little, or something like that. I was lucky enough to see one since I won the lottery one time.”

“Seriously?” Avery said. “You actually saw Hamilton? Was it with the original cast?”

“Yeah, I saw it!” Kenzie said. “It was amazing. I still have my Playbill! Sadly, it was right after the first drop. I didn’t get to see Lin or Leslie or Pippa, but basically, everyone else was still there, and   
they did great! That’s the kind of thing I’ll never forget.”

“Ooh, I’m so jealous!” Avery said. “I’ve been entering the lottery for almost a year, and I’ve never once won!”

“Maybe today’s the day. We’ll just have to wait until four.” 

Tamara popped up behind the freshman and the sophomore. “I overheard the conversation that Kenzie won the lottery.”

“Yeah, a little bit ago.”

“Now I probably shouldn’t brag, but I’ve got a way to make both of you insanely jealous,” Tamara said, a smirk crossing her face. “Before I moved here, I used to live in the city. And I got to go see Hamilton, with the original cast, at the Public.”

“No way!”

“How’d you do that?” Kenzie asked.

“After the show first opened, they invited some of the local schools to go see it, and then have the teachers work some aspects into their lessons,” Tamara said. “I was in eighth grade at the time, and we were learning about the founding of America, for the fourth time, might I add, so we worked Hamilton into our lessons. I got to rap battle one of my classmates, it was epic.”

“That sounds so awesome!” Avery squealed. 

“I got to meet the cast too. I have autographs from all of them. Lin, Leslie, Pippa, Renee, Daveed, Oak, Jasmine, all of them.”

“Wait, I’m gonna need you to say that again, at some point, explain your whole Hamilton history,” Kenzie said, holding up her camera. “I think I just found a new bit for the YouTube channel.”

“What’s this about a YouTube channel?” Monica said, walking over to the three girls’ huddle. 

“Kenzie started a YouTube channel for the play,” Avery explained.

“West River Hamilton, no spaces,” Kenzie said. “We can post rehearsal videos, cast cams, covers, and, our newest bit to add to the lineup, ‘Making History,’ where each of us explains how we got into it.”

“Sounds cool,” Monica said. “Looks like you’ve got a pretty good camera there.”

“I borrowed it from my older sister. She’s a film major, and she just got a new camera, so she gave me her old one.” Kenzie explained.

“Ah. I’d assume your sister is going to be doing the video editing?” 

“Nah. She goes to the University of Texas in Austin, so she’s a little far away.” Kenzie said. “I still need an editor.”

“I could do it,” Monica said, raising her hand slightly. “I’m a bit of an amateur, but I can splice videos and add tags and stuff. I’m also good with working on YouTube.”

“Awesome, thanks!” Kenzie said. “I’ll text you the clips and info and stuff for the account later.”

“Alright.” 

“Cast, this is not a social hour!” Lara shouted, coming from backstage, her pen behind her ear. “Get up here, we’re blocking the opener!”

“Can I film it for the channel?” Kenzie asked. 

“What?” Lara exclaimed.

“I started a play YouTube channel. Can I film practice? I’ve got a tripod.” 

“Sure. You can edit out certain parts, right?” 

“Ask Monica. She’s my editor.”

“I’ll ask her later,” Lara said. “All of you, get on stage! Chop, chop, we’ve got practice to do!”


	4. Tamara Tells Her Story and King George Comes Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's got a story, and they have a way to share it with the world. Care to tell yours? Sometimes, stories make sharp turns, for better or for worse.

Kenzie met up with Tamara after practice the next day, camera in hand. “I've already got my cast cam, and two rehearsals up. You're gonna be the first of the ‘Making History’ bit. Mind if we do it now?”

“I've got a few minutes to spare since I have a car,” Tamara said. “Let's go.”

“I've got a small intro to do, then give me your story,” Kenzie said. She turned on the camera, facing the lens and the screen towards herself. “Hey Internet! Straight from the cast of West River High’s Hamilton, it's time for our newest addition to the lineup, ‘Making History,’ where one of our cast members tells their story of Hamilton, acting, school plays and more. Today, we’ve got Tamara Delambre, the Senior of the Stage playing Marquis de Lafayette and Tara Jefferson!” Kenzie paused the footage. Then flipped the camera towards Tamara. “Do your thing, Tammy.”

“Please don't call me that…” 

“The camera’s rolling in three… two… one!”

“I'm Tamara, and this is my story.” she began. “Before I moved to West River, I lived in New York City. My mom was single, trying to manage life for me, and my younger brother and sister. It could get rough at times, but we always stayed positive. There were always people worse off than we were. School was never exactly something I enjoyed, though I got good grades. That changed in eighth grade, and I started to enjoy Social Studies. I had the best teacher ever, Mr. Carillo. He made things fun for us. 

“It was also through that class that I got to see Hamilton. During the original run at the Public Theater, they would bring in schools from across the city to see the show, and then the teachers would work it into their lessons. My school was one of those, so I got to see Hamilton and meet the original cast. Lin, Leslie, Pippa, Renee, Daveed, Oak, Jasmine, all of them. I still have the autographs. It was kind of an incredible experience for me, considering we were learning about the time period in class, but all we learned about was a bunch of white guys who started our country. That show was the history that had me interested, played by people who looked like me and my friends, who looked like the country of today that those white guys in the textbook founded. And then it carried over to class. In addition to our debates and games, we started having class rap battles, which were incredibly fun. It was something I realized I enjoyed, and when I’d come home after school with a smile on my face, it made my family just that much happier. When the soundtrack came out, I bought it and started learning all that I wanted to. The songs, the raps, all of it. This was the show that changed a lot for me, so if felt so cool to hear those voices again.

“Soon after my amazing experience, that summer, my mom met a guy, and they got married. It was the first wedding I had ever even gone to. It was a major boost for my family. We moved out to West River, with a nice house, and my mom had a good job. I started ninth grade here at West River High. I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t have any friends, that everyone would be with each other, and not with me. But I had learned to be confident, and to strike up a conversation. And when I walked in that first day and saw the diversity of this little suburb, I knew it couldn’t be that bad. I met Carolina and Anthony, my first friends at West River, in chorus. Lina happened to have the Hamilton logo on the cover of her self-decorated chorus folder, which I noticed and walked over to start some kind of conversation. The two of us started talking, then Anthony jumped in, and we’ve been friends since. 

“The two of them got me involved in the theater program, purely by accident, actually. They kind of dragged me with them, then told me what it was when it was too late, so I just got up there and tried to do what I do best, be confident. It somehow got me a role. Ensemble, but still. It was a role. I’ve been in the theater program ever since, meeting new faces and making new friends along the way. I’m proud to be a Senior of the Stage, especially considering I moved here in ninth grade. The others, Ant, Lina, Lara, Monica, Marc, they’ve all been here since at least middle school. But I’m proud of my history. I made it, and it made me who I am.” Tamara finished with a smile, and Kenzie clicked off the recording. 

“Nice. You’re gonna get a lot of positivity for that.” Kenzie said. “Thanks for opening up like that, by the way. I feel I… know you better now, I guess.”

“No problem. I guess I don’t mind doing it so much, because I know I’m not the only one out there who feels the way I do.” Tamara said. “I’ve gotta get home now, or my mom’s probably going to flip. See you at practice tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

~~O~~

The cast was taking a break, since Lara, overworked herself, decided to overwork her cast by making them go through the blocking for most of Act 1. It was during this break a thought occurred to Monica. 

“Hey, has anyone seen Troy lately?” she asked. “He hasn’t been at practice for this entire week!”

“He hasn’t been in class either,” Avery said. “I have his number, I can ask what’s up.”

“Yeah, that would be good.”

Avery typed away on her phone, and when she had a response, she read it out loud. “He says he fractured something in his leg. He’ll be back in school soon, but his parents told him he can’t be in the play,” she said. “We need a new King George.”

“What’re we gonna do? We need to get someone new, fast. Someone who knows the part.” Monica mumbled, kind of rambling to herself. She looked towards the ensemble members and shouted, 

“Hey! Do any of the guys know King George’s part?” Julian, Spencer, and Aidan all shook their heads. Monica groaned. 

Just then, Tori walked on stage, carrying a large box of something or other. “We could hear you all the way from the back hallway,” she said. “And if you need someone to cover, well, basically any part, look no further than the techie director. He literally knows every word, he’s always singing while we’re setting stuff up while you’re rehearsing.”

“Marc, right! He could do it!” Monica said, the wheels starting to turn. “Hey, um…”

“Tori.”

“Tori, would you mind getting Marcus for me?”

“Sure. Give me a sec.”

Shortly, Marcus was met in the back hallway by Monica. “So what do you need?” he asked.

“I’m asking you to be-” Monica began, with a reference to a song, before being cut off my Marcus.

“Your right-hand man?” Of course, he got the reference. 

“I’m already the right-hand man. I don’t need one.” Monica laughed. “I’m asking you to be King George. Our actor hurt his leg, and his parents told him he can’t be in the play.”

“But what about tech?” Marcus dropped to a whisper. “No offense to my crew, but I’m the only one who knows anything of what to do.”

“You don’t have to do the ensemble parts if you don’t want to. You’d just be doing the three songs, and I know how much you love ‘You’ll Be Back.’” Monica said. 

Marcus was squeak-whispering, which he only does when he’s nervous and awkward. “But...”  
Communicating with their eyes only in the way that close friends can, Monica got exactly what he meant. “Yeah, and Hamilton’s not a girl. Marcus, appearance and race have absolutely nothing to do with anything. Look at this cast, look at this school! So yeah, we’re not the original cast or even any of the other casts! But that’s what makes us, us. Yes, there are awkward times, but this is not one of those. So get up there, sing your songs, and have fun with it. Not one of us will care a thing. We will only care that you are our friend and that you are a great singer and actor. And trust me on those last two. I’ve seen and heard you.”

Marcus chuckled a bit. “That’s some pep talk.”

“It’s what I do best,” Monica said with a smile. “Remember the Day of the List? I got the majority of the Freakout Freshman to stop crying.”

“Major points for that,” Marcus said. He was back to his normal, non-squeaky, non-awkward, full power voice. “And yeah, count me in. I get to deliver some of the best lines ever, so why would I pass it up?”

“Attention cast!” Monica shouted. “Meet Marcus, tech director, and our new King George!”

The round of applause and cheers just made the techie’s smile grow that much wider.


	5. Anthony Gets Ready For His Closeup and Avery Goes Out to Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spotlight moves across the stage constantly. It's his turn in it, and he loves it. Hers is much smaller but equally revealing. People are intricate, multifaceted, and the lights illuminate all.

“Hey Lara, what are we going to do today?” Naomi asked.

“We’re gonna run and iron out ‘A Winter’s Ball,’ ‘Helpless,’ and ‘Satisfied,’” Lara said. “The ball scenes really need work.”

“Kenz, you got your camera?” Naomi shouted across the rows of seats. 

“Yeah!” Kenzie shouted back.

Anthony, who was standing near Kenzie, walked over to her and asked, “Hey Kenzie, can I do a cast cam today?”

“Sure. I can lend you my smaller camera after practice,” she replied.

“Why not during?” 

“I can add in scenes from practice into the footage,” Kenzie said. “I know exactly what you're getting at. You want you singing ‘Satisfied’ on there.” 

“Geez! We’ve only been practicing for like a month, and you already know me as well as Carolina or Tamara!” Anthony said, laughing a bit. 

“I'll make sure it happens,” Kenzie said with a wink. 

~~O~~

Kenzie posted Anthony’s cast cam after she got the final cut from Monica, then she decided to watch it again. 

Anthony was standing in a room with wood floors and squash orange walls. “Hello, people of the Internet! This is Anthony Davies, also known as Anthony Schuyler from the cast of West River’s Hamilton! I'm doing a cast cam, so you get to know a little about me!” He turned, so the camera faced a girl, maybe in middle school, on a computer. She looked like Anthony, aside from the blue glasses that sat on her nose. “That's my younger sister, Alissa. She just started sixth grade. I have an older brother, Andrew, but he's a junior in college, and I don't see him much. Yeah, my parents have a thing with A names.” He walked into another room, what looked like the kitchen, where a woman with Anthony’s chocolate skin stood cooking. “This is my awesome mom,” Anthony said, giving his mom a quick one-armed hug. “She’s always supported my acting. Without her, there's no way I’d be in the play.” Anthony walked over a little more, to where a lighter skinned man was sorting through a pile of papers. “That's my dad. He's a total workaholic, always busy, but he's never missed a concert or show.” The camera bounced as Anthony led the viewers upstairs to a room painted blue. The walls were covered in random posters and knickknacks hanging from pegs. There was a section of a wall near the (unmade) bed covered in playbills, some signed. “This is my room. Don't mind the mess, I'm a total slob. My room is kind of a random collection of things I’ve liked over the years. Note the random baseball trophies from middle school and all the playbills. The playbills are mostly from shows I’ve been in, but the ones from Wicked, The Lion King, and Pippin are real, from Broadway.” He sat down and turned the camera back towards himself. “And just for a little about me. I'm a senior and a Senior of the Stage. I was one of those lucky freshmen who got a role, and I've had a named role in every West River show since. I'm not positive where I'm going to college yet, but I want to try and make a career out of acting. TV, movies, Broadway, whatever. It's something I love. I am single, so ladies, that's your cue.” He winked and wiggled his eyebrows, which made him look more crazy than cute. “And for those of you who want to hear more of me, or just like the show, you get treated to a clip of me singing ‘Satisfied’ from today’s practice!” The clip played, and Kenzie had to admit, Anthony was really good, even on the recording. She had a feeling this cast cam of his would shoot up to the top of the channel’s viewer’s favorites.

~~O~~

At West River, the lunch periods were an even mix of all four grades. Even though they were well into the year, Tamara and Carolina never noticed they shared their lunch period with Avery, until they noticed her heading for the cafeteria as they went for their usual Friday lunch out. 

“Oh hey, Avery,” Tamara said, noticing the freshman. 

“Hi, Tamara. Hi, Carolina,” she replied. “I never realized we had the same lunch.”

“Us neither,” Carolina said. “Hey, we were just about to head out for lunch. You wanna join us?”

“I’d love to, but I don't have any money on me,” Avery said. 

“No worries. My treat.” Carolina said. “Let's say it's for playing my best frenemy.”

“Burr took Hamilton for drinks, so Hamilton is taking Burr for lunch,” Avery said, chuckling slightly.

“Talk less, smile more, you two!” Tamara quipped, leaving the three to start laughing. “In all seriousness, let's go! Lunch is wasting away!”

Tamara had the car, so she chose where they went for lunch, the local location of a chain sub shop. The three ordered and got their food, then sat down.

“So, Avery,” Tamara said, unwrapping her sandwich. “We’ve been practicing for about a month now, but I feel like I don't know you.”

“Well, I've kind of got a good reason,” Avery said. “When I first met you all, you scared me. Like, a lot. A bunch of big seniors who are amazing actors and singers, there was no way I’d make it in! But then I did, which was incredible! And you were all really kind and cool and welcoming! But there was still that little bit of worry, ‘I'm a freshman. With a leading role. With a bunch of seniors.’”

“Well, you're an equally amazing actress and singer,” Carolina said. “When we did ‘The Room Where It Happens,’ your expressiveness was amazing! And don't get me started on ‘Wait For It,’ you're incredible!”

“Thank you,” Avery said. “It feels really weird getting complimented by you.”

“You know what would be totally cool?” Carolina said. “If you and I did a cover of something for the channel!”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Tamara said. 

“You already had your five minutes of fame,” Carolina said. “Have you seen the comments on your video? Yours is even more commented on than Anthony’s!”

“Seriously?” Tamara exclaimed. “I haven't even looked!”

“Yeah, I think you're the favorite actress.” Carolina continued. “In any songs or practice videos, people are always mentioning you!”

“They mention you a lot too, Carolina,” Avery added. “People really like your Hamilton, and they say you have a great voice.”

“They say that about you too, Avery.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah! People love it that you're only a freshman, yet such an amazing actress and singer.”

“Shouldn't we get going?” Avery said, her cheeks still a bit pink from all the praise. “Lunch is almost over.”


	6. Natalie Has Something To Say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When we finally work up the courage to do something we're scared to, it can be a great feeling. Sometimes, it doesn't go the way we've hoped, so we pick up our pieces and try to move on.

Natalie was fidgeting insanely. It wasn't because she had just done amazing during “Yorktown,” though she was incredibly proud of that. It wasn't because she was pretty sure she failed her Geometry test, she’d worry about that tomorrow. 

It was because she had something really big to say to a friend, and the stress of the friend’s possible reactions was driving her nuts. 

Natalie and the rest of the ensemble were often forgotten. Everyone else had their big flashy roles and songs, where the ensemble just backed them up. 

Not that Natalie didn't enjoy it. She loved dancing and was too shy for any kind of singing solo. The ensemble was its own little neighborhood inside the larger town of the play. She, Talia, Laurel, Julian, Aidan, and Spencer had their own inside jokes, their own little community. And what friend group wouldn't be solidified without a group chat? 

But because of this friendship, the others seemed to know when something was wrong. 

“Hey Nat, you okay?” Talia asked, taking a seat next to her. 

“Yeah, you're moving around more than you do in ‘Yorktown!’” Laurel added, sitting on Natalie’s other side. 

“I- I'm fine,” Natalie said. “Just a bit stressed out.”

“Stress is no good for a dancer, makes your muscles tighten up,” Talia said. “What's plaguing you?”

“Math test.” Natalie lied, staring at the floor.

Laurel eyed the sophomore suspiciously. Talia sent the junior a “Let her be” look. 

“Alright, you ready to get back out there?” Laurel asked. Natalie nodded.

“Stop gossiping you three, get out here, or Lara’ll have our hides!” Julian yelled. In the ensemble, he liked to act like he was some kind of captain, though if there was someone who’d be the leader, it would be Talia.

“Let's indulge him with some sense of leadership,” Talia said, getting up and heading towards the stage. The junior and the sophomore followed.

~~O~~

It wasn't until after that day’s practice that Natalie worked up the guts she needed to talk to that friend. Her stomach was churning, and she was hoping she wouldn't be sick. 

This was a big step for her. But Natalie was ready to take it. She walked over to the friend, the certain actress that plays Helena Mulligan and Jacqueline Madison, one Kenzie Brooke. 

“Hey, Kenzie,” Natalie said.

“Hi, Nat. What's up?” she asked. 

“Mind if I pull you over to talk for a second? I’ll be quick since I know you’ve gotta get home.”

“Yeah, no prob.” 

Natalie led Kenzie over to one of the more secluded corners of the theater. She took a deep breath, then said, “Kenzie, I know we’ve been friends for awhile, but I feel I have to say this. I really, really like you. As a friend, and otherwise.”

Natalie’s heart had just barely slowed its beating when Kenzie exclaimed, “What? You? Like me? Romantically? But you're a girl! And I'm a girl! And I'm straight!”

Natalie felt that beating heart almost stop. “I-I don't need you to reciprocate the feelings…” she mumbled. “I just wanted to tell you…”

Kenzie fingered the strap of her bag tightly. “Look, I… I've really gotta go. I’ll… talk to you tomorrow, Natalie. Bye.”

Natalie was just left, standing alone, nursing a heart that has been trampled by a friend.

~~O~~

When Natalie got home, the first thing she did was text Talia and Laurel. “ _Have you guys ever asked someone out, only to have them or feel the way you do?_ ” 

Talia, the mom of the group, quickly responded, “ _Oh you poor thing!_ ” followed by Laurel, “ _Whoever turned you down is blind. You're an amazing person, Nat_ ” 

“ _The worst is, they were really rude about it too_ ” Natalie added. 

“ _That's horrible,_ ” Talia said. “ _Who was it?_ ”

Natalie quickly responded, “ _Kenzie._ ”

“ _I had no idea you liked girls,_ ” Laurel said.

“ _Laurel, you're being rude!_ ” Talia wrote.

“ _Geez, Tals it was just a thought!_ ” Laurel said. 

“ _It’s fine,_ ” Natalie said. “ _Yes, I’m bi. I had decided to tell Kenzie I liked her, and she just kind of… exploded._ ”

“ _I’m really sorry, Nat. That's gotta hurt, especially coming from a friend._ ” Talia said. “ _Tomorrow should tell her she hurt you._ ”

“ _Thanks, Talia,_ ” Natalie said, her lips forming a slightly sad smile. “ _Thanks for the sympathy and advice. I'm glad I have friends like you two._ ”

“ _No prob, Nat_ ” Laurel wrote. “ _That's what friends are for, right?_ ”

“ _Right,_ ” Talia replied.

Natalie smiled. “ _Right._ ”

~~O~~

The next day, Natalie headed down the hall to Kenzie’s locker, a look of fury contorting her face. 

When the person in question appeared from behind her locker door, she had a solemn look on her face. “Natalie, I really have to say-”

Natalie cut Kenzie off. “Save it. You really hurt my feelings, did you know that? I didn’t need you to reciprocate, I just didn’t want you to be rude!”

Kenzie stared at the floor. “I… I know. I deserve every mean thing you have to say to me. What I said was really rude and really hurtful. I don’t want to make excuses for what I said. Words hurt, and I never meant to hurt you. I was a bit shaken up, I had never been asked out before. It was shock that made those horrible, horrible words come out. But that’s no excuse for what I said.” She looked Natalie in the eye. “Nat, you’re one of my best friends, and I don’t want to ruin that. What I really want to say is, I’m sorry. I’m real, really, truly sorry. I hope we can still be friends.”

Natalie heard the sincerity in her friend’s voice, saw the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Quietly, she said, “I… forgive you.”

“Really?” Kenzie said, a shock of surprise lighting up her eyes. “I thought you’d hate me forever...

Natalie nodded. “You’ve been one of my best friends since middle school. You’re a good person, and I’m not the type of person to hold on to the negative.”

“That means a lot,” Kenzie said. “And you know what? I bet you’ll find some amazing girl or guy who loves you and deserves you very soon. I’m glad we can still be friends.”

“I’m glad as well.”


	7. Brendan Sheds His Disguise and Naomi Pulls Some Strings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you let the world know who you really are, they'll listen. When you share with the world what you know, what you can do, they'll help you make it happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was a minor hiccup in the publication of this chapter where I accidentally posted chapter 8 as chapter 7, sorry! Read on, I've sorted things out!

“Okay, round up, people!” Lara shouted. “We’re running the Act 2 Quad today, so Lina, Tamara, Kenzie, and Avery, get your butts on stage for ‘We Know’!”

As those four ran their scene, the rest of the cast chattered adamantly in the audience.

“I love when we do ‘The Reynolds Pamphlet’!” Laurel exclaimed. “It's such a hype song!”

“Carolina’s a great actress. Just look at her face when we do that song!” Talia added.

“I will admit, it's kind of fun yelling ‘All the way from London? Damn!’ at Carolina and Anthony.” Natalie said. 

But as Carolina belted her heart out “Hurricane,” the senior playing Ethan Schuyler sat backstage nervously. Brendan had only just joined the play this year and in a very High School Musical way. He was one of the stars of the lacrosse team, and if his teammates found out he was in the play, he could kiss any hopes at coolness goodbye. He had to purposely direct them away from the cast list when it first came out. 

Not only did he have to hide it from his team, Brendan didn't feel fully comfortable around his castmates, either. He knew Talia a bit since she was the ex of one of his friends, and Julian was a fellow drama jock, but Julian had no fear. His basketball buddies knew all about his play escapades, and they treated him no differently. Everyone else was nice enough, but the whole environment just made him uneasy. Brendan could barely remember why he even auditioned that fateful day.

But today, all his stocks were bared. He was singing, all alone, in front of everyone. All previous times, he had the recordings take care of things, since he barely knew the show, unlike the die-hard fanatics that made the majority of the cast.

And thank god they hadn't done “That Would Be Enough” without the recordings yet. Brendan wouldn't be able to stand singing about his love for Carolina. Technically, it was her character and his character, but still.

Granted, he could barely stand what he was about to do. Sit there, on the stage, vulnerable, and sing his heart out. 

He'd like to say it was a dare, but Brendan auditioned because he always liked singing. Like what he'd do when no one was home and put on a song and sing with it. He almost joined the chorus as a freshman but remembered that joining it as a guy is almost social suicide.

But here he was, and he was going to do it. 

He took a deep breath as the instrumental started. Monica flashed him a little thumbs-up from her seat in the front.

“I saved every letter you wrote me.  
From the moment I read them, I knew you were mine, you said you were mine, I thought you were mine…” With those first lines, the butterflies began to dissipate. He’ll admit, Brendan got really into it. He loved the way his mouth began arcing around the words as if he were meant to say them. The emotions came through in his voice, and for the few minutes of that song, he wasn’t Brendan Niely, the lacrosse star, or even Brendan Niely, secret drama member, and closed-door singer. He felt free, singing those words, tapping into those emotions of a heart burned at the stake. 

And when he had sung his last note, the cast was on its feet. 

When he hopped off the stage, Monica walked over next to him. “Wow! Brendan, that was incredible!” she gushed. “Lara doubted me, but I knew you were my Ethan.”

Brendan mumbled a quick thanks and took his seat. Moments later, Julian took a seat next to him.

“Great job, man,” he said. “If only your lacrosse buddies could hear that! The raw emotion, that’s the stuff that sells tracks, or gets you on Broadway or Hollywood.” 

“I'm not doing any of that,” Brendan said, sighing. “Julian, you know I’ve got that lacrosse scholarship. This is just something to pass time.”

“Dude, your voice says otherwise,” Julian added. “Tell your friends! They’d want to see you!”

“My team isn't yours.” Brendan fired back. “Your basketball buddies are a lot more understanding. I could never tell my team. They’d laugh me off the field.”

Julian got up. “You're never gonna know if you never even try.”

~~O~~

Brendan was contemplating what he and Julian had said the rest of that evening, and then he was lost in thought again all morning. Should he tell his friends? Now was the time to make that decision, as his friends had decided to stop by his locker before lunch.

“Dude, you’re late,” Quinn said. “Hey! Brendan! Earth to Brendan!”

He turned around. “Oh, sorry guys,” he said. “I’ve been just a little… lost in thought.”

“Well, Space-Head, it’s your turn to drive,” Kyle added.

“Right…” Brendan said. “Well, let’s go.”

After Brendan, Quinn, and Kyle piled into Brendan’s car (an old hand-me-down. It was not a cool car, but it drove), he said, “Guys, I’ve got something big to tell you.”

“Finally got a girlfriend?” Kyle asked.

“Sadly, no,” he replied. “But I might be able to take my chances with the cute girls from the play.”

“Don’t go for play girls, Brendan,” Quinn said. “They’ll break your heart. And let me tell you, that’s about as bad as getting checked hard by a Grandview guy.” He’s talking about Talia.

“Unlike you, I’ve got an insider’s advantage. I’m in the play.”

“You smooth b*****d!” Kyle said. “That’s smart, joining the play and doing nothing to get a girl.”

“Or incredibly dumb,” Quinn added.

“Both of you are wrong,” Brendan said. “The girl thing was meant to be a lead-in, which kind of backfired. Yes, I am in the play, and I am in it because I want to be. I have a named role and a few solo songs, and I’m actually really enjoying it.” He had this confidence in his voice. It reminded him of the same kind of feeling he felt singing yesterday.

Instead of laughing, Kyle replied, “That’s actually kind of cool.”

“Yeah. It takes a lot of guts to be able to get up onstage and do something, which is why I suck at public speaking.” Quinn said. 

“Remember the last time he tried to make a speech?” Kyle laughed. “He froze up in front of the entire team!”

“Not the point,” Quinn said, sending a glare Kyle’s way. “While I may be resisting the urge to laugh at you for doing something as dorky as this, if you enjoy it, that’s what matters.”

“We’re your teammates. We’ll always have your back.” Kyle added.

“Thanks, guys,” Brendan said. “It means a lot.”

“No prob,” Quinn said. “But you’re still buying us pizza.”

“What?” Brendan exclaimed.

“You lost the bet, you buy us lunch,” Kyle said.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

~~O~~

Naomi came in with her head looking down at her phone, a massive smile on her face. 

“What's with the Cheshire Cat grin?” Kenzie asked her fellow junior. 

“You know my aunt works at the local NBC station, right?” Naomi asked.

Monica slid over next to her two underclassmen. “If this is what I think it is, I'm probably going to scream loud enough to break a window.”

“Our play is going to get featured on TV!” Naomi announced excitedly.

Monica took a deep breath before Kenzie covered her mouth. “Please don't…” 

Monica frowned. “Fine,” she grumbled. “But Naomi, that's awesome! This is going to be so cool!”

“I just need you or Lara to clear it with the school, and we’re a go!” Naomi said. 

“I'll go tell Lara, this is so exciting!” Monica said, dashing off.She came back a few minutes later with Lara. 

“What's this about us going on TV?” Lara asked Naomi.

“My aunt works at the local NBC chapter. She pulled a few strings, and our cast is going to be interviewed, and a practice filmed.” Naomi exclaimed. “We have to clear it with the cast and their families and the school, and then we can pick a date and film.”

“Sounds good to me,” Lara said. “I'll pull some strings of my own. Go tell the cast. I know at least six people who will be all over this.”

Naomi hopped up on stage, and shouted, “Hey guys! I’ve got BIG NEWS!” All eyes in the room pointed towards her. “You’re probably not going to believe me, but we’re gonna be on TV!”

The room erupted into a fervor of voices. Naomi stepped down, and Anthony came up to her. 

“We’re seriously going to be on TV?” he asked.

“Yep,” Naomi replied, smiling. “I pulled a few strings.”

“That’s insane,” he said. “You juniors are really pulling your worth this year!”

Anthony was then switched out for Tamara. 

“TV. Us. On it.” Tamara said. “Still can’t wrap my head around that. How’d you swing it?”

“My aunt works at the local NBC station. She dropped our story to her boss, and now we’re getting recorded and interviewed.” Naomi explained.

“Sweet.” 

Naomi smiled, watching all of the buzzing in the auditorium. It felt good to be appreciated. Before the play, she was Naomi, the rejected cheerleader. Now, she was Naomi, the junior behind Jane Laurens and getting the play on TV. She felt like she belonged, a feeling she was sure she shared with all the other people in the theater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you are, be sure to check out the prequel sequel to "The Show Must Go On," called "Life on the High Notes." Look for some appearances by some familiar faces! And if you like what you're seeing, leave me a kudos or a comment! I'd love to hear what you have to say!


	8. The Crew Makes a Reappearance and the Cast Gets Filmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dynamic group that makes the whole show run gets one of their few moments in the spotlight. That same spotlight then grows, as the whole cast tackles their largest stage yet.

It was Wednesday, two days before the filming, and, despite knowing for a while, Marcus, as the responsible senior and crew manager he was, almost forgot to tell the rest of the crew.

It came in passing. Tori and Addie were girl talking about some TV show on last night, and Marcus, sticking his head in, mentioned, “Oh yeah, we’re going to be on TV in two days.”

“WHAT?!” Tori exclaimed.

“You’re kidding. You’ve gotta be,” Addie said.

“He does that a lot,” Gabe mentioned. 

“For once, I’m not,” Marcus said. “You know how Friday is our Act 1 run-though? The cast is getting filmed then, so I want everything perfect. Do you know your assignments?”

“I’ve got lights up in the booth with you,” Gabe said.

“I’m stage right manager,” Tori said.

“I’m stage left,” Cole added.

“I’m stage left sound and booth backup when you’re onstage,” Evan said. 

“Good, good, very good!” Marcus said, crossing things off an invisible checklist. 

“Now, we’ve gotta get some perfection from you, Marc!” Tori said. “Sing ‘You’ll Be Back’ for us!”

Addie did a fake curtsy and said in mock dramatism, “We would be honored by your voice, o King Marcus.”

Catching onto the joke, Cole and Gabe both did a little bow, and Evan said, “We are but your obedient servants, Your Highness.”

The six of them burst out laughing. 

In between laughing fits, Marcus managed to say, “Fine, fine. I’ll do it. Just let me stop laughing.”

He flashed them a quick thumbs-up, and Tori hummed the first notes. Marcus, in his hilarious and fake British accent, began singing.

“ _You say  
The price of my love’s not a price that you’re willing to pay  
You cry  
In your tea which you hurl in the sea when you see me go by  
Why so sad?  
Remember we made an arrangement when you went away  
Now you’re making me mad  
Remember, despite our estrangement, I’m your man  
You’ll be back, soon you’ll see  
You’ll remember you belong to me  
You’ll be back, time will tell  
You’ll remember that I served you well  
Oceans rise, empires fall  
We have seen each other through it all  
And when push comes to shove  
I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!_” 

That line elicited a few laughs from the crew, and Marcus continued.

“ _Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da_  
Da da dat dat da ya da!  
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da  
Da da dat dat da…  
You say our love is draining and you can’t go on  
You’ll be the one complaining when I am gone...  
And no, don’t change the subject  
Cuz you’re my favorite subject  
My sweet, submissive subject  
My loyal, royal subject  
Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever…  
You’ll be back like before  
I will fight the fight and win the war  
For your love, for your praise  
And I’ll love you till my dying days  
When you’re gone, I’ll go mad  
So don’t throw away this thing we had  
Cuz when push comes to shove  
I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love  
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da  
Da da dat dat da ya da!  
Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da!”

Marcus took a deep breath and smiled. “Just wait for tomorrow! We all do a little kickline!”

The crew applauded their director.

“You're gonna do great tomorrow, Marc,” Addie said. 

“Break a leg!” Evan added.

“Thanks, guys,” Marc said. “Practice is over, so go home, and get some sleep, particularly you freshman! We’ve got a big day tomorrow!”

~~O~~

It was filming day and the first run-through of Act 1. Everyone was everywhere. Some were rehearsing songs and dances in the back hallway with Monica, some were sitting offstage and talking as the TV crew set up. Lara was pacing anxiously back and forth on stage left when Marcus came over to check sound. 

“Hey, Lara, you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she dismissed.

“I know you’ve got stage fright,” Marcus said. “I’ve known you since that freshman year when we were crew together. And let me guess, you’re scared they’re going to try and interview you?”

“Yeah,” Lara said softly. 

“It’s not live, so they can take it multiple times if you mess up, or just edit some things out,” he said. “Besides, you’re one of the best public speakers I know, for someone with as bad stage fright as you do. You’re gonna do great!”

“Thanks, Marc.”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.”

Meanwhile, Carolina, Tamara, Avery, Kenzie, and Naomi were doing a quick appearance check in the bathroom before the cameras came on. That was when one of the two seniors had an idea.

“Hey guys, are you all free tonight?” Carolina asked.

“Yeah,” Tamara said. “What were you thinking?”

“You guys up for a slumber party?” Carolina said. “You know, so we can get to know each other a little more?”

“Sounds like fun!” Kenzie exclaimed.

“I can check my schedule. I’d love to come.” Naomi said.

“Thank you for the invite,” Avery said. “I’ll be there!”

“Alright, this will be awesome!” Carolina exclaimed. “A night with the Revolutionary Set!”

“Since when were we calling ourselves that?” Tamara said, raising an eyebrow.

“Since now, apparently.” Avery quipped, launching a few laughs.

“It’s from your own line, Tamara!” Carolina said. “Does no one get my jokes?”

Tamara smiled. “Apparently not. Let’s go, we’ll be starting soon!”

As the cast made it out, the cameras were set, about to start rolling.

“Okay, here's how it's gonna work!” Lara said. “We’ll run the first act here on the stage, which will be filmed, so do your best! When you're not on stage, go out to the back hallway for an interview! That's it! Everyone, places for the opener!”

Things began fitting together. The voices, the movements, the crew scurrying around like worker bees. And when they had spare moments, actors and actresses would slip out to the back hallway to answer a few questions.

When asked what his favorite song was, Anthony had responded, “‘Satisfied,’ without a doubt! And not just because it’s my song. It’s a great song, and it’s so much fun to sing!”

“Definitely all the raps, mostly ‘Guns and Ships’ and a few random bits scattered throughout Act 2,” Tamara said, in regards to her biggest challenge in the show.

“What is it like, being a lead in your first year?” the reporter had asked Avery, who replied, “Stressful, a whole lot of insane, but fun! I’ve met a lot of people!”

Kenzie was asked about the YouTube channel she ran for the show. “It’s really cool being able to share our experiences, and just have fun with it!” she said. “I’ve also gotta thank Monica, the assistant director, who also acts as my editor. She’s awesome!”

“It’s a bit crazy, playing all those roles,” Marcus said about his doubling as crew supervisor and King George. “I trust my crew a lot though, they keep the show running while I’m onstage.”

The reporter asked the ensemble members if they wished they had actual roles, to which Talia had responded, “I wouldn’t give up my ensemble fam for the world!”

“She’s the mom of the group.” Laurel quipped, eliciting laughs. “I like being in the ensemble too. It lets me have a little more fun than being locked into a role.”

“It lets you try out a lot of things,” Natalie said. “Dancing, singing, a little acting.”

“I get to be Charles Lee!” Spencer said. “‘I’m a general, whee!’”

“It’s a whole lot of fun, and it opens up my schedule a little more since I’m also a basketball player,” Julian said. 

“Not to mention, these guys are just awesome,” Aidan added. 

Lara and Monica were asked about directing and adapting the original Hamilton for their school. “It’s been an interesting experience, to say the least,” Lara said. “But we’ve got a great cast and a great crew. I honestly wouldn’t trade this experience for the world.”

“I second that,” Monica added. “It gets crazier by the day, for me and the others, but I love crazy! Crazy is my middle name! Figuratively, of course.”

When asked her favorite thing about her character, Carolina said, “I love being able to put my own spin on a character, particularly now that I’m almost creating the image of Alexandra Hamilton, building on that persona created as a male character. It’s really fun, and she’s so different from me, so those are the best roles.”

“Everyone is so welcoming,” Halle said when she and Naomi were asked about their favorite thing about the cast. 

“Yeah,” Naomi agreed. “It’s the first year for both of us, but it was like we’d known them all forever!”

And as Carolina shouted her final “I am not throwing away my shot!” of Act 1, the lights went out, the cameras stopped rolling and Lara shouted, “And CUT! That’s a wrap!”

A cheer erupted from the stage. They had just been filmed for TV, and they had just finished their first full run of Act 1. 

“Sit on down, everyone!” Monica said. “It’s time for notes, everyone’s favorite!” The cheers turned to groans. Monica and Lara were known to be brutal with their critiques.

After the critique session was done, and the TV crew was gone, Lara stood up and said, “Guys, I have to say, you did great. You’ve all improved so much since those first rehearsals. I’m proud of you. Now go home, and enjoy your weekend! I’ll see you on Monday!” The auditorium cleared with cheers and smiles.


	9. The Girls Have A Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little downtime is always good, and what's a better way to spend it than laughing with your best friends?

Carolina was flipping out for the rest of the afternoon, giddy until her friends could come over and head down to the basement, eating pizza and candy, drinking soda, doing each other’s hair and nails, watching movies, gossipping and talking about boys. Carolina was known for having epic sleepovers, which her fellow Seniors of the Stage could attest to. 

Tamara was the first over, walking in with her stuff and saying a quick hi to Mr. and Mrs. Solomon with a yawn. She knew the drill, and set herself up on one of the two air mattresses set up on the basement floor. 

Next was Kenzie, her video camera in tow. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to record some quality girl time! A few cast cams, maybe a few sketches or bits.”

Avery soon followed, clutching a very fluffy purple pillow and a teddy bear to her chest. “Where should I bring my stuff?” she asked.

“Down to the basement,” Carolina replied. “Set up wherever. What’s with the teddy bear?”

“Don’t laugh,” Avery frowned, “but I’ve had him since I was a kid. He always comes with me.”

“Nothing laughable at that.”

Naomi was last, coming in her usual aloof, slightly frazzled state. “Oh, um, hi. Where should I go?”

“Party central, aka the basement.” Carolina said. “I’ll join you in just a moment, I have to get the pizza.” She came down a few minutes later with pies in hand, as well as being tailed by an unwanted younger brother.

“Lina, you’ve got a plus-one,” Tamara said, motioning behind her.

She turned around, coming face to face with her brother. “Eli, get out of here! You know the rules of girl’s night!” 

“But-”

“No buts! Resistance is futile! Leave us alone!”

Eli sulked back upstairs, leaving the girls to their pizza and fun.

“I have to say, nice double quoting,” Kenzie mentioned in between bites of pizza. “Star Trek and Hamilton!”

“Did I?” Carolina said. “I didn’t even realize!”

“Well,” Avery said. “I have to ask, since this is a sleepover and all, who’s crushing on who?”

A chorus of “ooh”s surrounded their little circle.

“She doesn’t say much, but when she does, it’s on point,” Tamara remarked, eliciting laughs. 

“I’ll tell you the guy who I find cute, as long as one other person says theirs first!” Kenzie said, giving Naomi, the only one currently in a relationship, a look. 

She sighed and said, “Evan and I are going fairly strong. He took me on this really romantic moonlight picnic last week.” The girls around her “aww”ed. “Well, Kenzie?”

“Okay, don’t laugh,” the camera-toting actress said, “butIthinkSpencerisreallycute.”

“What? You said it too fast!” Tamara exclaimed. “Slower, I want the deets!”

“I said that I think Spencer is really cute,” Kenzie said again, quietly.

“Don’t worry, I speak quiet,” Avery said with a smile. “She thinks Spencer is really cute.”

“Avery!” Kenzie exclaimed. “I feel betrayed! My secret revealed by my own fellow Democratic-Republican!”

“If it makes you feel any worse, I’m laughing at you,” Tamara said.

“I’m being betrayed at all ends! I’m like Julius Caesar! Et tu, Tamara?”

After the other four stopped laughing, Kenzie said, “Okay, who’s next? Lina, who are you crushing on?”

“Tamara, you’re totally going to laugh, I know this as a fact.” Carolina prefaced. “I may or may not have had a crush on Anthony since sophomore year…”

Instead of the expected laughs, Tamara’s face dropped. “Lina, I kinda hate to tell you, but Anthony’s gay.” Her serious sentence seemed to suck all the air out of the basement leaving only silence.

After what seemed like an eternity of emptiness, Kenzie said, “Well, that escalated quickly.”

“But… I thought…” Carolina stuttered. 

“Hey, Tamara, who are you crushing on?” Avery asked, quickly shifting the conversation away from Carolina to let her handle her emotions in peace. 

“That’s a hard one.” Tamara said. “You play girls are too cute for me to choose.” The blood drained out of the faces of the two juniors and the freshman. “Don’t worry, it’s not any of you three! And I like guys too! I’m bi. I get the reaction.”

“Hey Avery, you’re the only one who hasn’t dished yet,” Naomi said. “So? Who is it?”

“No one, actually.” Avery replied. “I’m not ready for a relationship yet. I’ve never even had a crush. Though there was a really awkward occasion when one of the juniors on the guy’s soccer team told me he had a crush on me.”

“Okay, even I want to hear this story,” Carolina said.

“He came up to me after practice, since I play soccer as well.” Avery began. “He said he had been watching me during practice a little, and that I was a great player and really pretty. I knew him just barely, and he told me he had a crush on me! I almost freaked out, out of embarrassment, and the fact that it was kind of creepy and he was like two years older than me.”

“What’s his name?” Kenzie asked. “I probably know him.”

“Connor Olsen, I think?”

“Oh… Him.” Naomi said. “That’s great you rejected him. He’s a creep.”

After another round of pizza, a pillow fight of epic proportions and a streaming of Mean Girls, the so-called “Revolutionary Set” was in their pjs and laying in their sleeping bags.

“Hey, you know what I just realized?” Kenzie said. “The name Alexander, or Alexandra, Hamilton has seven syllables. And guess who’s name also has seven syllables? Carolina’s!”

Carolina counted it out herself, before exclaiming, “Oh my god, you’re right! You could put my name to the melody!”

“Carolina Solomon.” Avery sing-songed. “My name is Carolina Solomon. And there’s a million songs I haven’t sung, but just you wait, just you wait.” The five began laughing, the actress in question the loudest.

When she caught her breath, Carolina said, “Hey, Avery, your name could fit in place of Aaron or Erin! Pardon me, are you Avery Burr, sir?” More laughing.

“I don’t want to be left out!” Tamara exclaimed. “What about me?’

“Tamara is pretty close to Tara, so,” Kenzie said, “Tamara Jefferson’s coming hooome!” she sang, purposely off-key and out of tune. “What about me?”

“Well, technically your name could work as a stand-in for both Helena or Jacqueline, so you’re either Kenzie Mulligan or Kenzie Madison.”

“I’ll go with Kenzie Mulligan,” she said. “And that makes Naomi Naomi Laurens!”

“Now that’s the Revolutionary Set!” Carolina said. 

“What time is it? Almost 3 AM?” Naomi said. “I’m gonna try and sleep. See you in the morning.”

Before she fell asleep, since the other junior was good at that, Kenzie said, “We’ll try not to draw a mustache on you!”


	10. The Cast Gets Lovestruck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little love is in the air at West River High. Who's opposed to some rom-com meet-cutes?

Monday morning, Spencer opened his locker to find something sitting on the top shelf. At that same moment, his friend Connor (same guy who had a crush on Avery) came by.

“What's on your top shelf? Did you get a love note?” he said.

Spencer took the mysterious object down. It was a CD, and on the cover was written _A soundtrack to life. From Your Personal DJ._

“It’s a CD,” Spencer said.

“A what?”

“What they played music on before MP3s and after records.”

“What?”

“Connor, you're an idiot.” Though he will admit it, Spencer was a music geek. He’d have to listen to this when he got home.

“Looks like you’ve got a secret admirer…” Connor smirked. “I did see that Grace’s glances were lingering on you in class…”

“Eff off. I’ve gotta get to class.” Spencer slammed his locker, but as he walked, knew that the thought of whoever did that was going to haunt him the rest of the day

~~O~~

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I did that!” Kenzie said, with Naomi and Halle.

“I can’t believe you did either. Why?” Halle asked.

“Crushes,” Naomi said. “They make you do weird things.”

“You’d certainly know.” Halle quipped.

“Hey!”

“I wonder if he’s seen it yet!” Kenzie squealed. “Oh my god, I’m so nervous!”

“Calm your nerves. You’re gonna have to see him later, and keep your cool.” Naomi directed.

Halle scoffed. “Good luck with that, heart-eyes.”

~~O~~

Before practice, Carolina approached Anthony, who was on his phone.

“Hey Lina,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Hey Ant. Do you mind going out into the back hallway? I have something to ask you in private.”

When they were back there, Anthony asked, “So what's up?”

Carolina took a deep breath, and went out and said it. “Tamara told me something the other day about you, and before I jumped to conclusions, I wanted to ask you.”

“Okay…”

“Tamara told me you're gay.”

“I'm never trusting her again, that snitch! Guess I really play into that stereotype of the gay theater kid, huh?” he said jokingly. Anthony looked up and saw his friend’s face. “I'm guessing that was really not the right reaction.”

“I-I'm not a homophobe, you know that but… I guess I always thought you were straight.” Carolina said, staring at the floor. “I've had a crush on you since sophomore year.”

“Oh, uh, oh. Um, Carolina, I-”

Anthony was interrupted by Brendan opening the door into the back hallway. “There you are, Carolina. Lara needs us. We’re doing ‘That Would Be Enough.’”

“I’m coming,” she said. Being able to become someone else, even just for a little would be a good relief.

“Good luck,” Anthony said quietly, left alone in the back hallway.

Onstage, Brendan and Carolina sat side by side on two boxes. That distinctive kind of emotion on her face, usually an act, was real today. And it came out as an extra tone in her voice.

“Will you relish being this poor girl’s guy  
Unable to provide for your life?”  
Brandon put his hand on her shoulder, singing, “I relish being your guy.  
Look around, look around…  
Look at where you are  
Look at where you started  
The fact that you’re alive is a miracle  
Just stay alive, that would be enough  
And if our child  
Will share a fraction of your smile  
Or a fragment of your mind, look out world!  
That would be enough.”

Brendan and Carolina looked at each other as if for that moment, the line between their characters and themselves was blurred. It was Ethan, telling Alexandra his love, and it was Brendan, showing Carolina his sympathy at the same time.

“I don’t pretend to know  
The challenges you’re facing  
The worlds you keep erasing and creating in your mind  
But I’m not afraid  
I know who I married  
So long as you come home at the end of the day  
That would be enough  
We don’t need a legacy  
We don’t need money  
If I could grant you peace of mind  
If you could let me inside your heart…  
Oh, let me be a part of the narrative  
In the story they will write someday  
Let this moment be the first chapter:  
Where you decide to stay  
And I could be enough  
And we could be enough  
That would be enough.”

“Thanks, Brend- I mean, Ethan.” Carolina finally said, quickly regaining her character.

He made the same mistake. “No problem, Caro- Alexandra.”

“When did Brendan and Carolina fall in love?” Monica said loudly. 

Lara shushed her co-director, then said, “Great job, guys. Nice chemistry. Now, where is Marcus? He needs to do his King George scenes!”

While Carolina and Brandon were on stage, at the same time, Anthony was helping Marcus run his songs. However, both walked out of the practice session awkwardly, after Marcus kept winking at Anthony during certain lines. 

“It’s acting,” Marcus said, quickly dismissing anything after Anthony mentioned it. “I do that regularly, and you’re my audience, so why wouldn’t I do it now?”

“R-right,” Anthony said. “Now try ‘What Comes Next?’ Oh, and then I really want to hear ‘I Know Him.’ You need to nail that manic glee there at the end.”

Lara was overheard yelling from their spot backstage. “Now where is Marcus? He needs to do his King George scenes!”

“Looks like I’m being called,” Marcus said. “I’ll be back.”

Anthony smiled in a way he only does when he’s about to make a joke. “Of course you will. You’re King George!”

~~O~~

When Spencer brought home, he plugged that CD into his computer with his USB disc drive to see what was on it and began listening. It really was a great mix of songs. As he listened he wrote a little note, which he’d stick hanging out of his locker vents tomorrow.

 _Hey DJ, thanks for the mix. You’ve got some serious musical taste, and seem to know mine pretty well. If you give me a hint about your identity, and maybe your music tastes, and I’ll repay the favor._  
~~O~~

There was a note sticking out of Spencer’s locker the next day. And it was addressed to her. _Hey DJ, thanks for the mix. You’ve got some serious musical taste, and seem to know mine pretty well. If you give me a hint about your identity, and maybe your music tastes, and I’ll repay the favor._

She had a pen handy, so Kenzie scribbled back. _Glad you liked it. I’m pretty sure my handwriting is enough evidence as to my identity, but I’ll also mention that I’m in the play, just to make things easier. I like indie rock, alt-rock, the stuff you'd expect from a hipster/playing in Starbucks. Do with that what you will._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at almost 100 hits guys (when I wrote this, it was 98)! Thank you to everyone who's even taken a look at this story, it really means a lot to me. And hey, if you like what you see, let me know, leave a kudos or a comment! If you don't like what you see, let me know too! Any kind of, well, anything from you guys is awesome!


	11. Lara Does Some Damage Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When things go south, someone's gotta pick up the pieces. She does a pretty good job of it.

While Monday was full of light-hearted cuteness for the cast, Monday night was a full-on crisis for one Lara Delancey.

The broadcast of the play’s segment was airing and had begun locally trending on Instagram and Twitter. Kenzie found a way to live stream it to the YouTube channel, so even those who weren’t in the West River area yet followed the cast could watch.

Initially, it was all positive. “ _Love these girls and guys for trying something new!_ ” “ _Holy cow, they’re good! Can we get them on Broadway?_ ” “ _They’re high schoolers, right? Wish I was that good when I was their age._ ” Even a few more well-known names decided to drop a few comments in there. Lara was beaming. This was great.

Then she read the first hate comment. 

“ _Why is everyone white? If this was meant to be a faithful adaptation, get your actually diverse cast out of the ensemble and on stage!_ ”

And then more began showing up and her mouth began dropping.

“ _Who came up with the stupid idea to make every one female? Could you imagine that time period if everyone important was a woman? Of course not, since it WOULD NEVER and COULD NEVER HAPPEN._ ” “ _The girl who plays Hamilton can’t sing or rap at all. And everyone’s white. Bravo, suburbia, for white-washing yet another thing that actually makes minorities feel like they can do something._ ” “ _All those lyrical changes are horrible. Just keep the genders the same! And get some better directors and actors, they don’t know what they’re doing at all!_ ”

That last one hit the usually stoic director where it hurt. She thought the publicity would be good for the cast, the crew, herself. She didn’t think people would be trying to tear down everything they all had tried so hard to build up.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Monica.

“ _Have you been monitoring social media? It’s blowing up!_ ”

“ _Yeah, _” Lara replied, trying to hold her image of strength. “ _A bit crazy, huh?_ ”__

__“ _You can say that again,_ ” Monica replied. “ _Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted us!_ ”_ _

__“ _No way!_ ”_ _

__“ _Yeah way! That’s awesome, but there’s some significantly less awesome stuff out there._ ”_ _

__Here we go. “ _It’s horrible. Have you gotten in touch with Tamara, or anyone else who might react? I really don’t want to stroke the fire._ ”_ _

__“ _Not yet, but go soon. You know how she is._ ”_ _

__Lara quickly wrote Tamara, “ _Tamara, listen. I know you’ve seen the posts, but before you do anything drastic. HEAR ME OUT. Don’t do anything brash, something you’d regret later. When you stroke the fire, it only gets bigger. You don’t want to do this to yourself or to us. I know you feel strongly, but STOP before hitting that send button, CALM DOWN, THINK, and then maybe send, if you still think it’s a good idea._ ”_ _

__“ _Lara, you’ve read them too! You saw what they said about us, and about you too! It’s not right!_ ”_ _

__“ _It’s not. I know that as well as you do. But will you saying that make it better?_ ”_ _

__“ _It’ll show them justice!_ ”_ _

__“ _Maybe it will. I believe it won’t, but it’s not my decision. My final advice is, do what you KNOW is right, Tamara, not just what you THINK is right. I trust you._ ”_ _

__Lara closed her phone and looked back towards the TV, which had switched to the next segment by this time. But it wasn’t the last she’d hear about the issue._ _

__Carolina was calling her, and of course, she picked it up. On the other end, the lead actress was in tears._ _

__“Lara, did you see what they said? All those horrible things?”_ _

__The director responded solemnly, “I did.”_ _

__“What should we do?”_ _

__“I hate to say it, but I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, Carolina.”_ _

__“Would you mind just listening for a little?” Carolina asked through her tears. “You’re good at that.”_ _

__“Tell me everything, Lina. I’m here for you.”_ _

__As Carolina began spilling everything on her mind, Lara sent out a text to all the cast members. “ _Practice is canceled tomorrow, but meet me in the auditorium anyway. I have something big to talk about._ ”_ _

__~~O~~_ _

__On Tuesday, the halls were abuzz with talk about last night, though unlike the Internet, the majority was positive. All the compliments began to bring smiles to the faces of even the most distraught cast members._ _

__That afternoon, Lara sat alone on the edge of the stage as her cast and crew slowly filled the seats in their auditorium. Lara cleared her throat, and the room dropped silently._ _

__“I’m sure many, if not all of you, saw what happened on certain social media sites last night during the broadcast of our bit.” she began. “I’m not here to talk about what was said, from anyone. What I’m here to talk about it the future. I know seeing some of those things were hard for you guys. You took them personally, and they hurt. I know. Anything that hurt you guys hurt me as well. But what we have to do now is move forward. Our Act 1 run-through for the camera was amazing. You guys have made so much progress over the past few months. Keep moving forward! Make even more progress! Take those emotions you felt, and use them to power your acting and singing and dancing. Our show will come up faster than you think. Do any of you remember the Three Commandments of being in my company?”_ _

__“Know your stuff!” Monica shouted._ _

__Brendan followed. “Do your best!”_ _

__Avery finished off. “Have fun!”_ _

__“Exactly,” Lara said. “So let’s know our stuff, do our bests, and have fun. Don’t expect it to be easy, but enjoy the sweet taste of success. I’ll see you all tomorrow, be ready to work hard.”_ _

__Monica began clapping for her friend’s speech. The other Seniors of the Stage joined in, and before long, the entire company was on their feet, applauding their director._ _

__Lara smiled and bowed._ _

__On their way out, Carolina said, “Lara, thanks for last night, and today.”_ _

__“No problem.”_ _

__“You’re a good motivational speaker,” she said. “Hamilton would be proud.”_ _

__The smile on Lara’s face as she headed home on that Tuesday afternoon somehow made it all worth it._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! To those of you somehow still reading this, sorry for my absence! I was totally overloaded by school stuff (homework and band concerts do that), and then my computer was broken for a week. But now, I'm back! Thanks for all 103 of you who viewed this story (we broke 100, woo!), and a special thank you to the three guests who left kudos. As usual, if you want to let me know what you think, leave a kudos or a comment! As a big thank you, I'll give you a shoutout and respond to any comments I can. We're on Chapter 10 right now, and I only had 17 chapters previously written, so we're getting closer to my stop point. After that, my updates will get much slower, but the plot isn't mapped out past the stop point, so if you have any recommendations and ideas for me, give me a buzz! I'm probably boring you by now, so thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Edit: I just realized I had posted chapter 10 twice by accident, but I've corrected it.


	12. The Seniors Stand Center Stage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a group, the oldest members of the cast and crew are a bit to big to fit in the spotlight, but we can get around that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a way to make up for my double-chapter mishap, where I accidentally posted Chapter 10 twice (if you haven't read Chapter 11 yet, go do that!), I'm giving you all another chapter for today! Enjoy this fun little character spotlight!

Kenzie got a lot of ideas for videos, and most would get voted down by her peers, but she was pretty sure she had a winner on that one day. 

It was a little after the whole broadcast thing, and Lara had been working them all insanely hard. Kenzie thought they deserved a break, but wanted to have a little fun with it.

“ _Hey Lara, I’ve got an idea for a few videos that we could shoot today instead of practicing._ ” Kenzie texted her director.

“ _If you’re just trying to get out of working today, not gonna happen,_ ” Lara replied.

“ _Aw, come on! Just hear me out! It’s Friday, you should let us go easy either way!_ ”

“ _I’m probably not going to like this, but go ahead._ ”

“ _Okay, so you call in just the seniors, and maybe me since I’m the cameraman. We do a senior special and get like everyone’s history in theater, and then we can film a scene, or do a cover song with just the seniors. And not just the seniors of the stage, all the seniors. You guys are graduating in only a few months._ ”

“ _I’ll only let you do this because a few group scenes need to be run today, and the seniors know what they’re doing._ ”

“ _Thanks so much, Lara!_ ”

~~O~~

“So what do you want us for again?” Anthony asked, confused by Kenzie attempting to explain her whole plan.

The junior sighed. “I’m gonna pull each of you aside, and ask you about your history in theater, or anything else you’d like to talk about.”

“Sounds cool to me,” Tamara said.

“What’s the interview order?” Brendan asked.

“Whoever wants to go can go,” Kenzie replied.

“Ooh, I want to go first!” Talia said. “I’m ready for my close-up!”

Julian, her fellow ensemble member, sighed. “Drama queen…”

“Alright, Talia, get up here,” Kenzie said, waving the ensemble member over to her makeshift filming area. “Just be sure to say who you are first.” Kenzie held up her camera and said, “And rolling in three, two, one!”

“Hi, I’m Talia Patel, and I’m an ensemble member!” she said. “I didn’t get my start in musical theater until last year, but I’ve been dancing since I was in third grade, and singing since sixth. It’s a bit crazy that I didn’t think to join the school musical until last year! I was one of the chorus girls then, and I’m ensemble again this year. A lot of people look down on the ensemble, on how we’re not actually good enough to get a part, but in a show with a large group element like this one, we’re as important, if not more, than the actors with lines and songs. And we do as much work too! So don’t look down on us ensemble members, we’re more than you’d think!”

“And… cut!” Kenzie clicked off her camera, then shouted, “Okay, who’s next?”

Anthony stepped up next. “I’m Anthony Davies, aka Anthony Schuyler. Gotta thank Monica for that name choice for my character.” he began, chuckling slightly. “I’ve been acting and doing musical theater forever. I’ve doing stuff at the community theater since I was in elementary school. We did ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ when I was in sixth grade, and I got cast as Conrad, so that was when I really got bitten by the acting bug. Nothing wants to make you do that more than a bunch of girls, most of whom were actually older than I was, fawning over you for a show.”

Tamara was heard shouting, “Explains why you’ve got such a big ego!”

He smiled and waved it off. “Ignore Tamara, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Anyway, I’ve been in every West River High production since I was a freshman, which earned me a title of Senior of the Stage, which is an awesome honor. I had a speaking role every year, mostly since we were starved for boys my freshman and sophomore years. I always say that it was because of my amazing acting and singing, and devilishly charming looks.” He winked and flashed a smile at the camera. 

Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Cut! Next!”

“I’m Monica Rambough, and I’m the assistant director, plus a whole lot of other random roles I cover.” she introduced herself. “I’m a Senior of the Stage, I’ve been involved in every show since I was a freshman! I was crew for most of them, and I loved being up in the booth and running lights and sound. I’ve been assistant director for the past two years. Both roles I’ve had in the drama department were a lot of fun. Being the sound guy was really fun because if anyone ticked me off, I would cut their mic mid-line or mid-song. They would get so angry at me, but the look on their faces was the best! The crew those years was awesome, and we had this awesome friendship going on. Freshman and sophomore crew was where I met Lara, the executive director I work with. Directing is really fun as well because I get to be in control of it all! It’s me and Lara’s job to make sure the show runs smoothly, particularly because the West River High Theater Department is entirely student-run. I love seeing the final product, after all our hard work.”

“Nice, Monica,” Kenzie said. “Who’s up now?”

Brendan stepped up. “Hi. I’m Brendan Niely. I’m Ethan Schuyler. This is my first year in the drama program here. I’ve never really been the type to sing or act. Well, in public. I sing in my room sometimes.” He laughed. “Brendan revealed. I almost joined chorus freshman year, but that was before I realized I’d probably be the only guy, and that it was probably social suicide. So I started playing lacrosse instead. I was really worried that my friends would find out that I was in the play, and had to sing and stuff, and that they’d laugh me off the team. But they were really cool about it, and mostly teased me for the fact that I got to hang around and sing to a bunch of cute girls. I’m really glad I joined this year though. Everyone is awesome, and they were all so welcoming. And the fact that I got one of the leads is just incredible. That’s what I could use to describe this whole thing. Incredible.”

After him, Carolina took her turn. “I’m Carolina Solomon, and I play Alexandra Hamilton! I’m a Senior of the Stage, I’ve been in every production of this school since my freshman year, though I’ve been acting and singing since elementary school. Anthony and I know each other from community theater, which we both did since we were kids. Freshman year was my only year at West River where I was an ensemble. We just had too many girls, and the director before Lara played a lot of favorites. I’m really happy to do it though, especially this year. The cast is so awesome, and I love what we’ve been able to do. Every day, we’re growing, we’re learning, we’re trying something new. It’s gonna be an incredible show when we’re done, I can guarantee it.”

Julian faced the camera with a smile after Carolina left. “I’m Julian Sohal, ensemble. This is my second year in the theater program. I play basketball too, and I had wanted to try something new. My girlfriend, Talia, dragged me to audition with her. We got to dance together a couple times, which was just fun. I really enjoyed myself last year, so I decided to come back and try again! I’m honestly glad I did, this is really fun. We’re a team out here.”

Kenzie cut the camera and called Tamara up. “I’m Tamara Delambre, Lafayette, and Jefferson. Senior of the Stage. I lived in New York City for a while, and I got to see Hamilton during the original run at the Public, but I told that story in another video. I joined the theater program by accident when Carolina and Anthony, who I met in chorus freshman year, dragged me to auditions and I landed myself a spot in the ensemble. I had a lot of fun during that show and decided to keep coming back every year. Doing the show this year was really cool because it was taking what I saw a few years ago, and bringing it back in my own way. Everyone here is awesome, and I’m so glad to be a part of this.”

Marcus stood up next. “I’m Marcus Fisher, stage crew director, and King George. I’m a Senior of the Stage, I’ve been in stage crew since freshman year. And it’s not like I auditioned, and didn’t make it, so I joined the crew. Nope, I was crew for the start. People knew me to whistle while I worked though, which somehow landed me King George after our original actor hurt himself. I’m a techie before I’m an actor. Being onstage instead of behind it is such an odd thing for me, but I think I’m glad to try something new. My crew this year is small but awesome. We’ve done a lot, and I’m proud of them. I’m proud of everyone, for turning this show into a reality.”

Last to take her shot was Lara. “I’m Lara Delancey. Executive Director, Senior of the Stage. I was crew my freshman year, assistant director sophomore, and executive director junior and senior. I definitely enjoy directing more than I did being a crew member, not that that was awesome. Crew introduced me to Marcus and Monica. But being in control is an awesome feeling. Suddenly, it goes a show that you’re working on to your show. It's actually one of the coolest experiences of my high school experiences. I'm gonna tell a bit of a funny directing story now, and I just know Carolina, Tamara and Anthony are going to cringe when I mention this. When we were sophomores, and I was assistant directing, we did A Chorus Line, and we rented out these costumes for the finale, which was actually kind of cool. The only issue was, those were really unforgiving costumes, and I had to go give a very awkward talk to the girls while the ED did the same for the guys. It was the most awkward thing ever, just ask Tamara and Carolina, but it's just one of my funny directing moments! Being the director is really stressful at times, and really awkward at others, but I think it’s worth it when you get a fun day, and really, when you see what happens at the end, and you know that it’s you who set it all in motion.”

“Nice job,” Kenzie said when she had finished recording everyone. “Now if Lara’ll let you, head home, everyone. See y'all Monday!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for sticking around and reading this, your support means a lot to me. A very special thank you to the three guests who left kudos. You guys leaving kudos and comments validates my existence, and confirms that you readers actually exist, so it would mean so much to me to let me know what you think! Thanks again, and I hope you keep enjoying "The Show Must Go On!"
> 
> Now that the obligatory reader thanks is over, some fun stuff! Anthony's story and Lara's story are entirely based off stories Lin-Manuel Miranda told on the podcast "Still Buffering." If it wasn't for that episode, a lot of parts of this story would be very different. I particularly pulled those stories, just because they show a bit of humor and awkwardness typical of theater. If you want to know the whole stories, go listen to the podcast! Also, in a sneak peek for next time, Carolina, Tamara, Anthony, and Brendan mess with their US History teacher.


	13. Hamilton and Jefferson Take US History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lesson plans can be changed. It's a good think their teacher knows it when Carolina, Tamara, Anthony, and Brendan show up to class in their costumes, and a rap battle follows

“These things are awesome!” Carolina exclaimed. The costumes had arrived Monday morning, and everyone was trying them on during rehearsal.

“I know,” Anthony said. “It almost makes me not mind that I'm wearing pink!”

“Um, it’s salmon? Not pink?” Brendan said in a high-pitched, nasally voice, mocking the salesperson at the costume house. All four seniors in their little huddle to burst out laughing.

“Forget you, I am rocking the magenta velvet!” Tamara said, striking a pose in her outfit as Jefferson.

Carolina straightened the jacket of the army uniform she was wearing. “I honestly love this costume. Can you believe that the people at the costume house tried to sell us skirts instead of pants?”

“Seriously?” Brendan exclaimed. “They did that to you guys?”

“You should've seen them!” Tamara added. “Make one move and we’d flash everyone.”

“That's horrible,” Anthony said. “Totally sexist.”

“Since we’re talking about horrible costumes,” Carolina said, “remember A Chorus Line?”

“Oh god, not that! We don't need to hear that story again!" Anthony reacted.

Brendan looked at them confused. “What? I heard Lara say something about that during her monologue, but what was the big deal?”

Carolina and Tamara gave him a look saying _You don’t want to know_ , but Anthony gave a short take anyway. "Let's just say it was really, _really_ awkward."

“That might just make me glad I didn’t join theater until this year,” Brendan said with a laugh.

“Putting Chorus Line aside, I have a brilliant idea,” Carolina said.

Tamara pressed her hand to her forehead “Oh no… When Lina gets a ‘brilliant idea,’ it can’t be good!”

“Do you not trust me?” the actress in question said. “Besides, it’s actually a good idea.”

“What is it?”

“We all get here early tomorrow morning and put on our costumes before first period. And then we can act all in character during US History!” Carolina explained. “Knowing him, Mr. Hayden will probably play along. It’ll be great.”

“I stand corrected,” Tamara said. “That actually sounds like fun! Hey, maybe we could rap battle each other as Jefferson and Hamilton!”

Carolina blanched slightly. “Um… sure!” she replied weakly. Tamara didn’t even notice, she was already concocting her rhymes.

“I’d be in for it, “ Anthony said. He hooked an arm around Brendan’s shoulders, “But only if my dear brother Ethan is as well.”

Brendan smiled, and replied, in character, “Of course I am, anything for my favorite brother.”

“What about Peter?” Carolina asked.

The two laughed. “No one cares about him.”

“Enough with the in-character jokes,” Carolina said. “See you all tomorrow in first period?”

“See you then.”

~~O~~

Standing outside Mr. Hayden’s first period US History was Alexandra Hamilton, all in green, Tara Jefferson, complete with the long magenta velvet coat, and Anthony and Ethan Schuyler, in salmon and turquoise respectively. Their classmates in the hall had varied reactions, from weird looks and giggles to compliments and winks. Mr. Hayden welcomed the actors and actresses in with a smile. His lesson plans had changed abruptly, but it would be so much better this way. 

When the first period bell had rung, and the announcements completed, Mr. Hayden said, “Alright, class, we’re taking a break from our usual subjects and turning back the clock to a History class classic, the founding of America.” The four actors gave each other a quick look. Mr. Hayden continued, “We’ll be having a few debates and discussions on issues that can be applicable to both then and now. I've got a few off the top of my head, but we take a couple suggestions if we have time.” He sat down at his desk and rifled through a pile of flashcards with historical debate topics. “Considering the extra company we have today, this will be a fun one,” he said, holding up a card. “Our first topic is slavery and racism. Any volunteers?” Carolina and Tamara both stood up immediately. “Alright then. Ms. Jefferson, you have the floor.”

The topic and the side she knew she had to argue for made Tamara sweat in that stupid coat, but the words coming out of her mouth were delivered with the confidence and bravado attributed to her character on stage. 

“You people just whine and whine and whine  
Really, it’s all you do, all the time  
Revolution this, liberty that  
But you need to take a long hard look at the facts  
You like your fancy clothes, your nice food, all that jazz?  
Yeah, it’s my half of the country making your Hamilton pizazz  
Let heaven judge me, which it will, that’s true  
But what the hell else are we supposed to do?  
In the south we have slaves so you in the North can boast  
Slavery’s wrong but without out it we’re toast.”

Tamara crossed her arms over her chest and gave Carolina a look. In character, it’s one of _Take that!_ But if you remove the character from the actor, it’s really saying, _Good luck._

Carolina faced her opponent, cheating out so the rest of the class could see her, in all of her gaudy green glory. She had planned out her segment while Tamara was talking, so this was one part she wouldn’t stumble over.

“Is it my turn yet? Good.  
We struggled for years just so we could all be free  
People like to say some ain’t regular people like you and me  
But if our multi-colored brothers don’t have liberty  
Then the struggle was pointless, ‘cause honestly, neither do we  
Your beloved south is all promise makers,  
All talk, no walk, just a bunch of fakers.  
You say it’s necessary? No it’s not you’re just being stingy  
In the meanwhile their conditions are dingy  
C’mon, pay your people, you’re rich enough  
Unless you want to give me even more ammunition  
Your cause is imploding like nuclear fission.”

“You may think you’re on a roll, you’re one step from ignition.” Tamara refuted.

“Do you even realize the state of your taunts?  
Baseless, floppy, flimsy, purely based off your wants.”

She was stopped from saying more by Carolina, acting in true Hamilton fashion.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention  
You’re telling me about my clothes, I’m not the one in red velvet!  
And since you’re callin’ me the one without a spine  
Head back to France, keep drinking your wine!”

“Oh yeah, you’re being the one to criticize  
But I’m not the one who’s gonna sleep with other guys  
Yeah, we’ve all heard your Reynolds Pamphlet story  
So you may want to stop the comments which are accusatory.”

“Wow, you decided to go there  
But click-click, the gun is loaded and it’s aimed somewhere  
Wasn’t Jefferson the one who had an affair with a slave?  
Yeah, I made some mistakes but I got what I gave  
You might want to shut your mouth and think democracy  
But that’s not what it is, it’s a hypocrisy.”

Their classmates went wild. 

Tamara laughed and hooked an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “I cede, I cede. I can’t do this anymore.” She extended a hand. “Congrats on totally beating me at my own game.”

“Thanks for a debate well fought,” Carolina replied, and they shook hands. When they were sitting down again, she said, “I’ve gotta give you major credit though. I kind of showed you there, I never knew how hard it was to pull good words out of thin air!” Tamara almost burst out laughing. “See what you’ve done! I’m gonna be rhyming all day now!”

“Well, that was an exciting debate, to say the least.” Mr. Hayden said, slicing through the chatter. He looked at Carolina, Tamara, Anthony, and Brendan. “Who says we do it again tomorrow?” The class cheered. “Alright, here’s my daily challenge. All of you, assume your rapping revolutionary selves. Think of a topic, and what you’d say about it. Write down your rhymes if you feel like it. I look forward to seeing what you come up with on the classroom stage tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks again for reading! It's awesome to see all the numbers tick up! We're at 114 views, and 4 kudos, so special thanks to the fourth guest who left a kudos! Your support, from all of you, means so much.
> 
> With the thanks out of the way, it's time for fun facts about this chapter! Carolina and Tamara's rap battle was so much fun to write out. It was a bit insane, but kind of cool, and I couldn't have done it without my friend the rhyming dictionary, and my best friend and beta, otherwise known as SimonBlackquillEatsASandwich (don't ask...). Next chapter, prepare for a chapter told entirely in texts relaying what our cast members do when they're not rehearsing. See you next... update, I guess? I don't know when you're reading these things.


	14. Saturday's A Fair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little down time never hurt anyone, yet our odd cast members still decide to spend it with each other.

With how much it had become their lives, it was often hard to think that the cast members did anything besides the play. But that week, Lara decided to give everyone Saturday off, and they were going to enjoy it. 

~~O~~

**“Junior Jam” -Chat between Kenzie, Halle and Naomi**

**Kenzie:** Oh my god, it feels so good to not have to worry about rehearsal!  
I just slept in later than I have on a Saturday since rehearsals started!

 **Halle:** Kenzie, it’s 8:30

 **Kenzie:** Exactly.  
Hey, why are you up anyway?

 **Halle:** Lara chose the perfect day to let us off. Thursday night crew is covering Saturday today, so I’m on duty until 6.

 **Kenzie:** I almost forgot you’re an EMT… How do you balance it all?

 **Halle:** I’m a good time manager, and I can do homework during my shift. Thursdays get rough though, which is why I’m always exhausted Friday morning.

 **Kenzie:** Wait, you do that EVERY THURSDAY????? Halle, you’re some kind of crazy person!

 **Halle:** Kenzie, you’ve known me since middle school. Of course I am.

 **Naomi:** Geez, can’t you two let a girl sleep? 

**Kenzie:** Sorry…  
What are you doing on your day off Naomi?

 **Naomi:** I have a few friends from camp who I'm going to meet up with  
Probably go to the Grandview street fair

 **Kenzie:** Sounds like fun!

 **Halle:** Come see me! I'll be standing by at the street fair, my squad is in Grandview  
All this talk about days off makes me feel like we’re actual actors, haha.

 **Kenzie:** With the schedule we have, we practically are ones!

 **Naomi:** Keep dreaming

 **Kenzie:** That makes me think, what do you all want to do?  
I know the whole “what do you want to be when you grow up” is stupid, but it’s getting real, guys

 **Halle:** I get it. I’m starting college tours soon. I want to study nursing, I really like doing medical stuff.

 **Naomi:** That’s cool. I think I want to study something liberal arts, go to a small school somewhere

 **Kenzie:** We’re like the opposite, Naomi  
I want to go to a big-city school, I love that atmosphere  
I want to study photojournalism if possible, just something in media

 **Halle:** Well, we’re going to have to make our decisions sooner than you’d think  
We’re juniors, guys  
It’s when it starts all coming together, when we’re supposed to know what we want to do with our lives  
But how do you trust a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds to make that huge a decision?

 **Kenzie:** yuuuge

 **Naomi:** Oh no, please don’t tell me you’re a Trump supporter…

 **Kenzie:** of course not! That man is VILE  
I was making a joke  
Humor me please?  
Haaa

 **Halle:** A, Kenzie you’re not funny  
B, we have a call

 **Naomi:** This early in the morning?

 **Halle:** You’d better believe it  
Old lady fell  
Be back soon

~~O~~

**Chat between Brendan and Carolina**

**Brendan:** Did I just see you at the Grandview Street Fair?

**Carolina:** probably  
Eli and I are there 

**Brendan:** I’m here with my younger sisters, since my parents didn’t want to take them, and they don’t trust them alone. 

****Carolina:**** yes, very dangerous area of outer suburbia  
Also, two younger sisters? Ouch  
How old are they? 

**Brendan:** Cate is 14, Gabby is 12. 

**Carolina** : aw, middle schoolers  
Let me guess, you got here and they ran off with their friends? 

**Brendan:** I had to park away from where they’d be meeting because they didn’t want their friends to see my sucky car.  
You’ve seen the station wagon, right? 

**Carolina:** oh my god, the station wagon is yours?  
Tamara and i have been calling that thing the dump truck  
We always thought it belonged to like, julian or someone 

**Brendan:** Wow. 

**Carolina:** and i only thought car snobbiness happened in high school 

**Brendan:** It’s a hand me down, but it drives, and it gets me from point A to point B, so it’s okay  
Which car in the post-rehearsal parking lot is yours? 

**Carolina:** i…. actually don’t have a car  
I usually bum a ride off of Tamara, since her stepdad got her a pretty nice used one 

**Brendan:** You at least have your license, right? 

**Carolina:** of course!  
My mom lets me use her car sometimes, which is how I’m here right now  
Did I just see you by the cotton candy stand, trailing about five feet behind a gaggle of middle schoolers? 

**Brendan:** That’s me 

**Carolina:** i’d recognize that lanky figure anywhere 

**Brendan:** I can’t help my height 

**Carolina:** i’m pretty tall too, but you just tower over me still  
It’s annoying to have to look up sometimes 

**Brendan:** I’m not that tall 

**Carolina:** i’m 5’7”  
You are? 

**Brendan:** Almost 6’2”  
That’s five inches. I don’t ‘tower over you.’ 

**Carolina:** well you certainly tower over all the kids  
Meet me by the tilt-a-whirl  
Eli found his friends, so he’s gone, and I’m probably way better company than your sisters and cohort 

**Brendan:** that’s something you are most certainly correct about 

~~O~~ 

**Chat between Anthony and Marcus**

**Anthony:** OH MY GOD DID YOU JUST SEE THAT 

**Marcus:** See what 

**Anthony:** BRENDAN  
AND CAROLINA  
TOGETHER  
HERE AT THE FAIR  
LAUGHING  
AND WALKING REALLY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER  
I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN I KNEW IT  
THEYRE ALEXANDRA AND ETHAN  
THEYRE FALLING IN LOVE 

**Marcus:** Ant, calm down  
1, why are you texting me, you are literally standing next to me  
2, why is this a big deal  
We’re all friends, it's probably nothing  
You overreact about this gossipy stuff more than a freshman girl 

**Anthony:** I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO YOU VOICE OF REASON  
I KNOW IT I KNOW IT  
THEYRE GONNA FALL IN LOVE  
PEOPLE PLAYING LOVE INTERESTS ALWAYS DO 

**Marcus:** Weren't you Conrad Birdie in sixth grade, with a bunch of older girls fawning over you for the show? 

**Anthony:** Yeah  
So 

**Marcus:** Wasn't Heather Franklin Kate? 

**Anthony:** Yeah 

**Marcus:** You didn't fall in love, even though you were a hormonal teen boy and she was a pretty eighth grader  
And don't even give me the “I'm gay” speech, I know you still thought you liked girls 

**Anthony:** agh  
That's the problem with being best friends with you  
You know all my secrets and quirks 

**Marcus:** Again, why are we texting each other?  
We are literally standing right next to each other. 

**Anthony:** Right 

~~O~~ 

****“Junior Jam” -Chat between Kenzie, Halle, and Naomi** **

**Kenzie:** halleee  
Where are youuuu 

**Halle:** Near the corner of Maple rd?  
What's up? 

**Kenzie:** Spencer’s here and I don't know what to do!!! 

**Naomi:** Stop getting flustered is my advice  
Go talk to him!  
Use that stage bravado of yours! 

**Halle:** Yeah! You literally rhyme about f***ing horses! 

**Kenzie:** But I'm nervous!  
I don't want to be too forward or weird  
What if he doesn't like me back?  
Or in the same way?  
WHAT IF HE THINKS WERE JUST FRIENDS 

**Halle:** Kenzie Marie Li Wen Brooke, you better pull yourself together or I will literally find you and slap you  
And you know I will. 

**Kenzie:** Halle  
You scare me sometimes Also props to you because you got all three (four?) of my names right 

**Halle:** I know ;) 

**Naomi:** Kenzie?  
How'd it go? 

**Kenzie:** we’re walking around with each other  
We both want to go on all the rides 

**Naomi:** Hanging out  
Do that a little more, and you're one step from a date!! 

**Halle:** Good luck, Kenz!  
Come see me if you need anything! 

~~O~~ 

****Chat between Brendan and Carolina** **

**Brendan:** Where are you? 

**Carolina:** Kenzie and Halle are here  
I think I saw Marc and Ant  
Corner of maple  
Hold on I'm making a new chat 

~~O~~ 

****“A Fair” -Chat between Carolina, Brendan, Kenzie, Halle, Marcus and Anthony** **

**Carolina:** are all of you at the Grandview street fair 

**Anthony:** yeah  
Marc and I are here 

**Kenzie:** You guys text at the most inopportune times 

**Halle:** Hanging with Spencer? 

**Carolina:** ooh  
You on a date or something? 

**Anthony:** I could ask you and Brendan the same 

**Kenzie:** agh no It's called the magic of talking to someone 

**Carolina:** ANT  
WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT 

**Anthony:** I saw you walking with each other and laughing  
And you play love interests and stage love interests always fall in love offstage 

**Carolina:** ant  
You are sometimes such a major idiot that I don't know how you wound up playing a character as smart as the genderbend of Angelica Schuyler 

**Marcus:** I told him he was crazy  
You're welcome 

**Brendan:** Why are we texting?  
We’re at the fair, we should be having fun. 

**Halle:** I'm on standby  
We’re doing absolutely nothing right now 

**Anthony:** ? 

**Halle:** I'm an EMT with GVRS  
We’re here in case someone gets hurt on one of those death trap rides brought in on trucks.  
Get back to your fun, and make sure I don't see you in my truck! 

**Kenzie:** yes ma’am 

~~O~~ 

All seven high schoolers continued on, even as the sun drew close to its setting and the lights up and down Main Street turned on, because it was Saturday, and they didn't have anything better to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, and thanks for reading! Your continued support means a lot to me. Special thanks to the four guests and user KaitoTheWolf, who gave me kudos! Now I'm going to finish this because it's time for some bonus fun! 
> 
> This chapter was heavily inspired by real events, except swap out the cast members for my marching band friends. The three juniors are basically my close group of friends, with me as Halle (I am similarly a cadet on the first aid squad a town over) and my two friends as Naomi and Kenzie. My "Kenzie" really did have an awkward encounter with a suitor, but it turned into a date, and they're cool and happy now. Carolina and Brendan in real life are the drum major and percussion section leader since, for some reason, it seems to be a trend that they always wind up together. One of my friends played Anthony in the marching band group chat, laughing about the whole thing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that my odd little bonuses are mildly fun. And hey, we've got three (and a half) chapters left until I catch up to real time, so if there's something you want to see with the characters, let me know! That half-chapter is a ridiculous little parody melody of Hamilton songs I wrote out, but I'll only publish it if you ask, so let me know if you want it!
> 
> NEXT TIME ON "THE SHOW MUST GO ON: The ensemble has a debate over small parts and hijinks ensue when you put the crew in the hands of Monica.


	15. The Many Faces of the Ensemble and Crash Course With the Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two most under-appreciated groups in the company need some love, so here are some hijinks with each!

Natalie, Aidan, Laurel, Spencer, and Julian were lounging around the block of auditorium seats that made their little crew section when Talia came running over with a sheet in her hand and a smile signifying that this wouldn’t be good.

“Today is a very important day,” she proclaimed, “because we are picking our minor roles!”

Julian looked up from his phone. “What?”

Talia sighed and gave her boyfriend a look. “Lara told us we have to pick our minor roles today and lock them in.”

“Who are our choices?” Natalie asked.

Talia looked at her list and read, “Samuel slash Samantha Seabury, the character can be played by either a guy or girl. Charles slash Charlotte Lee, again guy or girl. Mark Reynolds, that one’s guy only, though according to Monica, the first name is still in the works, and might change.”

“Wait, that role falls to us?” Spencer said. “Wasn’t the role of Maria Reynolds an actual role in the original? See, I actually learned stuff about the show.”

“Good for you, Spencer," Natalie chuckled. She added, "Yeah, it was, but as the other role for the actress who played Peggy. I guess because our version of Peggy is also Phillip, and Maria only appears in basically one song, the role fell to us?”

“No matter how it happened, you guys should be grateful,” Talia said. “One of you three gets a solo, with some nice vocal stuff.”

“And a chance to almost stage-f*** Carolina,” Laurel added, earning her a slap on the arm from Talia. 

“The other role left is Jacqueline Reynolds, girl only.” Talia finished. “And there’s ‘The Bullet,’ but that one’s mine. So who wants to do what?”

“Can I do Seabury?” Natalie asked. She nudged Laurel and said, “You should be Lee, you can easily do that person no one likes!”

Aside from Laurel, the rest of the ensemble began “ooh”-ing and fanning themselves.

“Laurel, you just got burned!” Spencer exclaimed.

“I think I will do Lee, thank you very much,” Laurel said. “I’ll do Lee, and do awesome at it.”

“I’ll do Mark Reynolds,” Julian said. He cracked a smirk and added, “Don’t get too jealous, Tals.”

“Wait, we have a problem,” Aiden said. “Spencer and I don’t have roles, and the only open one is a girl’s role!”

“You could take it if you don’t mind cross-dressing.” Laurel snickered.

“Well, there’s only five available roles in the first place, so someone’s getting left out,” Spencer said. “And Aidan, you’re the youngest guy, so you’re getting left out. Also, Natalie or Laurel, I need one of your roles.”

“You’re not getting it from me, Natalie is the younger one anyway.” Laurel protested. 

“But I’m too likable. Wouldn’t pass for Reynolds,” Natalie refuted. 

“She has a point,” Spencer said. “Talia put me down as Lee. Laurel is Reynolds, still unlikable as hell.” 

Laurel frowned at her fellow junior. Sometimes, she really just hated her ensemble friends.

Talia shrugged and filled out her list. “Here’s the list. Natalie, Samantha Seabury. Spencer, Charles Lee. Julian, Mark Reynolds. Laurel, Jacqueline Reynolds. Me, The Bullet. Aiden, zip. I’m turning this in, like it or not, so practice your sh**, you five!”

~~O~~

“Alright, what’s up now?” Gabe asked Evan, who was looking at the song list. 

“Ball scene run," he replied. 

“Oh, you’ve gotta cut Anthony’s mic in the middle of ‘Satisfied’!” Monica exclaimed, her voice taking on a quality of childish glee. She was helping Gabe and Evan up in the booth since she was the crew member in charge of sound when she was a freshman and sophomore. 

“What? We can't do that!” Evan protested. 

“He has a point,” Gabe added. “I’d rather not be killed by both Marcus and Anthony.”

“I'll defend you two, plus I’d do it all the time when I was on crew!” Monica reassured. “Cut him when he hits the high notes!”

Gabe chuckled nervously but put his hands on the dials and switches controlling Anthony’s microphone. When he hit a falsetto note that by almost all normal ranges of the male voice he should not be able to hit, Gabe didn’t let him revel in the glory; he cut the volume of his mic drastically, leaving Anthony with no amplification for his incredible note. When the song finished up, he was understandably miffed.

Gabe looked to Monica. “Uh oh, raving actor alert!”

Evan grimaced. “I knew this wasn't a good idea!”

Monica put a hand on the shoulder of the junior and the sophomore. “Calm down you two. I'll take the fall. Follow my lead.”

When Anthony came storming into the booth, he was faced with Monica, playing with the soundboard, no one else to be seen. He softened his disposition and said, “I should’ve known it was you…”

“I did it when I was a sophomore, I’m still doing it as a senior!” she laughed. “I kicked the junior and the sophomore who were working up here out, just so I could mess with you.”

“Of course you did,” he sighed. “Carry on, since you’re good at running the soundboard, but please, don’t do that to me, or anyone else, ever again.”

Monica grinned. “No promises!”

When he heard the booth door close, Evan whispered, “Is he gone?”

“Yeah, you guys can come out now.”

Evan crawled out from under the desk, and Gabe stepped out of the small tech closet. 

“Thank goodness,” Gabe said. “I couldn’t stand in that closet any longer!”

Without missing a beat, Monica said, “You’re welcome.”

“Oh yeah, thanks,” Evan said, suddenly becoming very interested in his shoes.

“I’m gonna go stop Lara from chewing out the cast too bad,” she said, giving a small two-fingered salute. “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya!”

Evan looked toward Gabe. “She is one weird director.”

Gabe shrugged. “You kind of get used to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's another chapter down! Thanks to everyone who reads for your continued support, and special thanks to the-schuyler-sisters for leaving a kudos! It means a lot to me. 
> 
> Hey, it's bonus stuff time! The ensemble interlude is basically a fun way to get to know them as a group and as individual characters, but the scene with Gabe, Evan, and Monica is inspired by real events. One of my friends was on the crew for our spring musical, and he was being coached on how to run sound by one of the veteran crew members. He told my friend to do something specific, and without knowing it, my friend cut the lead actress's mic in the middle of a song. She was furious, and my friend has vowed never to trust that veteran, or run sound, again. Luckily for Evan and Gabe, that wasn't exactly how it played out here, but I hope both the real and fictional scenarios add a bit of humor. My next question for you guys decides the fate of the next chapter. I wrote what I call a half chapter; a silly interlude that, in this case, was a parody medley of a bunch of songs from Hamilton using the cast. If you want me to publish it, you have to actually let me know, or else that odd hidden gem stays hidden! I also could use some input for future chapters, since we're only two away from the stoppage point where I run out of prewritten chapters. My current plan for the future is to make some ships canon, so if you've got one you want to see, or anything else for that matter (I'll take literally almost any idea you can give me, I have a major case of writer's block right now), please, let me know!
> 
> NEXT TIME ON "THE SHOW MUST GO ON":  
> Talia has a problem with the choreography and aims to fix it, while we get a window into Halle's second life.


	16. Talia Isn't Throwing Away Her Shot and Halle Rises Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you don't like something, fix it yourself. And even when things don't need fixing, recognition of your work can always put things in perspective.

Lara collapsed into her front row seat. “Andy Blankenbuehler is a great choreographer, but I honestly hate what he did for this show.”

“Hate’s a strong word,” Monica added.

“Fine. I honestly _extremely dislike_ what he did for this show.” Lara said. “I mean, seriously! Not only are the movements weird, unnatural and don’t fit the scene, but they’re too damn complicated! They’re tiring out my actors!”

“You could change them. We’ve changed enough, what are a few dance steps?”

“It’s not that simple. It would mean changing basically all group dance scenes, the big ones being ‘My Shot’ and ‘Yorktown.’ And then you add in the fact that I’ve already attempted to teach everyone the original choreography, and the fact that I may be a dancer, but I can’t choreograph for my life.”

Monica gave her fellow director a nudge. “You complain too much. I can solve all your problems!”

Lara smiled smugly. “Try me.”

“If everyone hates the choreography as much as you do, they’ll be happy for the change. And these guys pick stuff up fast, from the most graceful dancers to Julian. And then you can have someone else do the choreography for you! Pick out one of your dancer friends who’s good with that stuff! Heck, I bet you Talia would love to do it.” Lara stared at her feet silently. “I’m right, aren’t I? Say it.” More silence. “Aw c’mon, Lara, give me the satisfaction of you saying I’m right!”

Lara chuckled. “You sound like my dad when he’s trying to prove something to my mom.”

“Anthony’s claimed we argue like an old married couple too, but call it a longtime friendship forged by theater?” Monica said.

Lara shrugged. “Call it what you will. I’m gonna go ask Talia.”

As she got up, Monica said to herself, “I think that counts, right?”

Talia, who was arguing with Julian about something frivolous, saw Lara heading towards her red-faced and immediately forgot what she was saying. The executive director was not one to mess with. Talia held up her finger to pause Julian, then went to see what Lara wanted. 

“So what’s up?” Talia asked, silently pleading _Please don’t chew me out…_

Lara took a deep breath and said, “I need your help.”

Talia blinked twice. “You need my… what?”

“I need your help,” Lara repeated. “You know the choreography, especially the group numbers. And it’s weird. You’d agree, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense for the songs and scenes.”

“So we’re on the same page. We’ve changed enough in this show, so a little choreography isn’t that big a deal. But my problem is, I can’t choreograph for my life.” Lara said, beginning to outline her master plan. “That’s where you come in. Not only can you dance, but you can create your own. So, are you in?”

“Am I in?” Talia exclaimed. “Hell yeah! When do we start?”

“As soon as possible,” Lara replied. “Most big group numbers need some reworking, stuff like ‘My Shot’ and ‘Yorktown.’”

“You can say that again,” Talia said. “I’ll get on it during some spare moments, so be sure not to run those two, and any others you want me to retool until I’m done, ‘kay?”

“Gotcha,” Lara replied. “Hey, and thanks.”

“No problem.”

While the leads were rehearsing something or another, Talia was watching clips of “My Shot” from the Broadway run, trying to think of ways to fix the atrocious steps. It started with two ensemble members, generally her and Natalie, flanking Carolina while doing some weird rotating arm movement. Then, Naomi, Tamara, and Kenzie did this weird one-one-two step combination which was just not working, and Carolina joined in. Then there’s each character’s part, and when they get to the chorus, the steps get even worse. There’s some weird lead-ensemble rotating step thing, which she may keep, then some weird stepping, swaying, and arm moving, then the weird rotational arm movements again. Talia shut off the video, that was all she needed to see. She knew she needed to fix basically all of it, but how? Then it hit her.

The song centered around Carolina, so instead of those around her starting the dance, it would be her, and not with weird arm rotation or one-one-two steps. It would be with how she generally acts, talking with her hands, and maybe adding some foot motion in. And as Hamilton’s ideas began picking up speed, Naomi, Tamara, and Kenzie would start joining in, followed by the ensemble members dotting the stage. At the next chorus, when the choreography gets really bad, Talia keeps the rotation, then has a different step and turn combination that would work better, with a couple rotations. She decides she has it, and runs over to Lara, currently chewing out one of the leads for some reason or another.

Talia taps the director on the shoulder, and says, “Lara, I’ve got it.”

The ensemble member catches the director off guard. “That fast? You’re better than I thought. Well, what’s see what you’ve got.” She turned back to the cast. “Everyone, pay attention! Talia’s fixed the horrible choreography of ‘My Shot!’”

The actors let loose a collective sigh of relief, which they then sucked back in after Talia demonstrated her complex step sequences.

“Calm down guys,” Talia said, attempting to reassure her castmates. “You’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly, it’s simple!”

“That didn’t look pretty simple…” Kenzie said. 

Naomi gave her friend a nudge. “Even a klutz like you can get it. Once more, a little bit slower?”

“I’ll do you one better,” Talia said, smirking. “Step by step, from the top, let’s go!”

~~O~~

Halle was on her feet for almost all of Thursday afternoon’s long rehearsal, since Lara and Talia were in cahoots to torture the cast with new choreography for “Yorktown.” It wasn’t until she got home and got a text from her crew chief Sara that she even remembered she had squad duty that night. She quickly changed and grabbed her gear, said a quick hello-goodbye to her parents, then headed out to Grandview, the next town over. 

Halle fished out her key fob to open the squad door, then opened the door the crew room, where she found Sara, Kyle, and Gavin standing at attention. She had to laugh. “What’s this for?”

Gavin dropped his stance to point a finger. “Kyle’s idea.” The EMT in question replied with a protesting “Hey!”

“Ignore them,” Sara said. “One of your West River friends was lighting up Instagram with something from the play. You guys are doing Hamilton, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Anyway, they tagged you in all of the pictures, and mentioned that you were playing Washington, so we, and by we I mean Kyle, decided to give you a proper greeting, General.”

“Goddamn it, Kenzie…” Halle mumbled, before smiling back at her crewmates. “Thanks, guys.”

“What’s it like being in a high school production of a musical that arguably shaped a generation?” Gavin asked.

“It’s pretty epic, I guess,” Halle replied. “My director and castmates love taking risks with things, from rewriting certain parts in our own way to just outright genderbending the whole thing. It’s cool, and the people are great.”

“High school was torture enough without the crazy stuff like that,” Kyle said. “You’ve gotta be some kind of insane to balance this, that and regular school stuff.”

“Ding ding,” Halle said. “I’m also just crazy good with time management.”

“Really?” Gavin said. “More often than not, I see you on your phone instead of working when you’re here.” 

Halle gave her fellow cadet a shove. “You’ve got no right to judge. Because we all know what you’re doing with your headphones in when you cite ‘homework.’”

Gavin went red, then the whole station started beeping, from the pagers and radios on each crew member’s belt to the automatic dispatch system installed. 

“Old lady fell down the stairs,” Sara said. “This should be fun.”

“Let’s go get this over with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thanks everyone for reading and special thanks to everyone who left kudos. 
> 
> I'm keeping this short because I know I have totally loaded my notes recently, so some short bonuses. Talia's segment is minorly inspired by my own reactions to the choreography after watching the bootleg. I can't dance for my life, but Talia is a dancer, so I thought it was a good way to work a chapter centered on her into the story. Halle is a character largely inspired by myself, which I mentioned earlier. It's my own experiences as a first aid squad cadet that led me to give Halle the same position. 
> 
> I know this was kind of a so-so chapter, I wrote it mostly to fight writer's block. Next chapter is the final prewrite, so after it, my updates are probably going to get a lot slower. However, I will be writing chapters in real time, so if there's something you want to see, almost anything at all, let me know!
> 
> NEXT TIME ON "THE SHOW MUST GO ON":  
> Carolina and Brendan are idiots in love on a lunch date that they don't know is a date.


	17. Carolina and Brendan Share Memories in Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They didn't let the other know, but there was more between them at some point, and maybe there is now.

Brendan approached Carolina right before their shared lunch period, after a shared class. “Any interest in grabbing lunch with me?” he asked. “My friends kind of ditched me.”

She simply smiled and replied, “I’d love to.”

“I’ll drive.”

“I was anticipating that since you asked me. And I don’t have a car, but you knew that.” Shaking off an odd bout of awkwardness, Carolina then said, “Where are we going?”

Brendan shrugged. “Your choice.”

“You invited me, you choose. I’m also horribly indecisive.”

“Pizza work for you?”

“Absolutely. Nonna’s?”

“What else?”

“Glad to see you have good taste. Let’s go!”

Once they were settled in Brendan’s junky station wagon (which Carolina had to laugh at), Brendan turned on the radio, playing a station reserved for the first decade of the 2000’s. The Killer’s “Mr. Brightside” rattled its way through the speakers. Carolina found herself humming along.

“You like this song, I take it?” Brendan said. 

“You can say that,” she replied. “It’s a good song, but I like it because I sang it with my acapella group last year. You’ve heard of Current Events, right? We’re the all-female group on campus. I was this year’s president.”

“Yeah, I think I’ve heard of them,” he replied. “Acapella’s pretty big here, right?”

“That’s an understatement. One of our groups has made it pretty far in ICHSA since it existed. In addition to Current Events, the best, just saying, there’s also the Lords of Chord, all-male, and HeadVoice, co-ed. They’re amazing, HeadVoice, though the Lords are just kind of idiots. Well, there was this one Lord I had a massive crush on last year and would’ve dated this year, if it weren’t for the strict ‘no inter-group dating’ rules, especially between the Events and the Lords. Do you know Nathan Lane? Awesome guy, great voice.” Brendan felt an odd flush rise to his cheeks. “Now that I think about it, you remind me of him a bit. You’ve got almost the same voice. I tried telling him to join the musical this year, but he obviously never showed.” 

“Did you, in an odd way, just compliment my singing?” Brendan eventually sputtered, passing it off as a chuckle.

Carolina smirked. ‘Maybe I did.”

When they arrived at Nonna’s, the best pizza place in town, they chose their slices and sat down, Carolina with a buffalo chicken and Brendan with a mushroom and onion. She made a few comments at his slice choice.

He retorted with, “I don’t care if my breath winds up being a bit funky, I like it. Plus, that’s what mints are for.”

They talked as they ate, and Brendan eventually drifted conversation back to acapella. “You know, I almost auditioned for one of the acapella groups last year. But at that point, I was the star lacrosse guy, complete with that ridiculous macho figure I thought I had to hold up, so I passed.”

“I wish you joined,” Carolina replied. “The acapella community, even with our different groups, is kind of a big family, and maybe I’d have gotten to know you sooner.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Brendan said. Silence hung in the air as they ate. He slid his hand into his jacket pocket and hit a familiar pair of thick rimmed black “hipster” glasses. The lenses were dirty when Brendan took them out, but the effect would be the same. He slid them on his face and said, “You know, I do think I actually know Nathan Lane. Awesome guy. Though I think he actually did take the advice of a cute Current Event and join the musical, and maybe she just didn’t notice.”

Carolina almost choked on her pizza slice. “No way.” She pressed her hand to her forehead. “God, I can’t believe I told you all that stuff about Nathan, and then you turn out to be Nathan… Wait, how does that work? Also, did you call me cute?”

“Let me explain,” Brendan said. “I actually did consider auditioning last year as Brendan Niely. But I had that lacrosse image, which I really didn’t want to ruin, so I took a fake name and wore glasses. So convincing, I know. The Lords knew. I wound up telling them, but they swore to secrecy. It’s stupid, I know. Your description of the Lords as idiots is kind of true for me. Also, yes, I called you cute. Also stupid, it kind of slipped out.”

Carolina laughed. “Well, I told you I had a crush on you, so we’re even,” she said. “It’s funny that we had all those interactions last year and earlier this year, then the show comes around and I start over, but you must’ve known it was me the whole time, right?”

He chuckled too. “It was a bit odd, I’ll admit.”

They spent the rest of their lunch laughing over old acapella jokes.

Heading back to class, Carolina said, “You know, this was fun. I definitely got to know you a bit better. Maybe we should do this again, Brendan. Or should I say, Nathan.”

“Shh! I shared that with you in confidence!” Brendan replied, smiling. “But yeah, we should definitely do this again?”

“Next week, same time, same place?”

“Works for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thanks again for reading! Special thanks to the guest who left a kudos! 
> 
> Quick thanks, so now it's on to bonuses! This chapter was mildly ridiculous to write, as I am not very good at writing romance, but I thought it would be sort of fun to write in some Carolina/Brendan. If you took notice, they are officially canon, the tags prove it! I have another ship I intend to make canon, but if you have yet another, I'll see what I can work out. This was my last prewritten chapter, so updates are going to slow down a bit, but the story is more fluid, so if you have a suggestion or something you want to see happen, let me know! I'm in the process of writing the next chapter, but everything else is up for grabs. This chapter's events were based on a few features of another story in the West River Series I was working on for a little but wound up ditching. It was a prequel about the three acapella groups at West River and would have a mix of returning and new characters. This chapter was written at the same time as that story, but I wound up deleting that story, so this chapter mostly just became some romantic comedy for Carolina and Brendan. I've been talking a lot, so I'll end it here.
> 
> NEXT TIME ON "THE SHOW MUST GO ON":  
> Lara comes in sick and a zombie-like flu spreads through the cast.


End file.
